An Arrow to Home
by MavsGirl22
Summary: [“Well of course I want to see her!” Aang answered defensively. “It’s just… It’s been six years. I’ve changed a lot you know…”] A wedding approaches, a friendship is rekindled, and something new is revealed... KataraxAang
1. To Make Her Smile

**A/N: **Well, I don't really know how to introduce this one except to say that I've found that I really enjoy writing Avatar. Aang's character is really fun to write, and I've been playing with the idea of what he would be like as an adult. This is what came out of that…

_**To Make her Smile**_

She was always beautiful.

Stunning, really…

Closing his eyes, he could still see the way her skin glistened in the sun and glowed the moonlight. Her eyes were always kind and sincere, but determined and strong. Mahogany hair was always soft under his fingers and he could still remember how the breeze would catch it and carry her scent wherever she went. Her presence was always comforting and loving, and her absence disheartening and empty.

He loved the way she bit her lip and crinkled her nose whenever she was deep in thought and how her ears would get pink whenever she felt particularly passionate about something… which was usually everything. He had always admired her passion. It ignited her eyes, flames of ardor dancing in seas of ocean blue.

But what he missed the most was her smile… the way the light would travel to her eyes, casting a natural glow all around her. Her entire body seemed to be happy whenever she smiled and he was sure that her laughter would melt the coldest heart.

He loved making Katara smile…

Which is why Aang had spent over two hours staring at the thin roll of parchment, rolling it in between his hands, and rereading it dozens of times… trying to decide how he could honor his best friend's wish.

_Aang,_

_I have wonderful news! I can't tell you everything because of a certain promise I made… but I can tell you that there is going to be a wedding soon! Next month in fact. I know that you are busy with Avatar duties and bringing democracy back to the Fire Nation, but it just wouldn't be the same without you. It's been too long. I hope to see you soon. I'll be watching the skies with a hopeful eye._

_Your friend,_

_Katara_

Aang sighed for the millionth time that evening as he again rolled the letter back up and then unrolled it again. The sun was sinking low on the horizon, casting the hillside in colors that rivaled the Nation's element. He had long-since decided that the Fire Nation was most beautiful at sunset. He leaned over the thin railing of the balcony, his back to the room in the palace that he was currently calling home.

"There's going to be a wedding soon…" He mumbled the words out loud as his fingers traced over the worn out sentence. He groaned and rolled the parchment up yet again, "What wedding?! Whose wedding?!" Frustrated he rubbed at his temples as a certain faithful lemur pounced onto his shoulder.

"What am I going to do Momo?" he moaned.

Momo chirped to himself as he flicked his tail.

"Well of course I want to see her!" Aang answered defensively. "It's just… It's been six years. I've changed a lot you know…" he trailed off as he looked back down at the letter.

"Six years is a long time," he said absentmindedly, recalling the promise he had made to Katara the last time he had seen her…

_The palace was ablaze. _

…_Ablaze with people, food, dancing, fireworks, music… all in celebration of the commencement of the new Fire Lord. The night was filled with hope, joy, love, and pure excitement. It had only been three weeks since the fall of Fire Lord Ozai, and the Fire Nation had seemingly forgotten his years of tyranny and warfare as they celebrated the rise of his very own son in his place. _

_Aang and his friends were utterly exhausted, glad to enjoy a night without political conferences or arresting Ozai's still-faithful followers. It reminded Aang of his dance for the schoolchildren before the invasion. He felt like a normal kid at a normal party. And of course he danced… _

_Whirling Katara around the dance floor, laughing and blushing and honestly having the times of their lives, was all he intended on focusing on that night. How they got on the subject of returning home… he had no idea…_

_Katara laughed lightly as the song ended, her breath coming in short puffs and her brow glistening under the party lights. Aang smiled at her warmly, "You want to go sit down for a while? You seem a little out of breath…" _

_Her energy didn't seem to match her desire to stay on the dance floor, so she nodded in agreement and allowed Aang to lead her over to a set of tables on the other side of the room as a new song started to drift around them._

_She sighed contently as she sat down, Aang taking his seat across from her. Katara smiled at him as she wiped her brow, "You know… Once we get back to the Southern Water Tribe maybe you can have parties like this all the time!" _

"_What do you mean?" Aang asked._

"_Well, I mean once we get all this political stuff wrapped up… Then we can go back home. I really miss Gran Gran and I know that Sokka is dying to show Dad what all he's done with the village since he left."_

"_Oh…" Aang's eyes fell to the table as he suddenly realized that he had no home to go to once he was done saving the world. He had no family to welcome him back and congratulate him on a job well done. The Air Temple he grew up in was painfully empty and just thinking about it caused his chest to ache. "Yeah… I'm sure your Gran Gran misses you too…" he forced a weak smile as he lifted his gaze._

"_Aang…" Katara suddenly dropped the tone of her voice, somewhere between that of a mother and a friend, as she grabbed his hand comfortingly, "You know that you have a home with us. Sokka and I… we're your family." _

_His heart skipped a beat at her physical contact and he smiled sadly as he met her eyes, "I know Katara…" _

_As she returned his smile warmly, Aang suddenly realized how much he missed the Air Nomads. He sighed as he reminded himself that their love was not lost… just born anew in the eyes he was currently locked into. He decided that if he felt this much pain and loss, Katara must feel just as homesick. The only difference, of course, being that she still had a home to go to. _

_Without him realizing it, Aang made a very mature and selfless decision, "Katara… go home."_

_Katara's confusion was evident in the wrinkle in her brow, "What?" _

_Aang smiled genuinely at her and clasped her hand in between his own, "Go home Katara. You and Sokka… go see your family and your home. I'll meet you there when I'm through here!" _

_Realizing Katara's nature, he awaited her defensiveness and arguments with ease. _

"_But Aang…" was all she managed to come up with._

_Aang was more than surprised at her lack of words, reasoning her desire to see her family must be more than he originally anticipated. "Go home Katara," he encouraged over the dull roar of the music, "It will only take a few weeks. I'll meet you there. I promise."_

_Katara sighed, unable or unwilling to argue. Suddenly a smile spread its way across her face, and Aang swore the entire room lit up as she leaned across the table, kissed him on the cheek and wrapped him up in a tight embrace. "Thanks Aang," she whispered._

'_Anything to make you smile,' Aang thought as he hugged her back._

Momo squawked loudly, bringing Aang back from his memories…

"It will only take a few weeks…" he said softly. "What happened to those 'few weeks'?" he asked out loud.

Weeks had turned to months. Months turned to years and before Aang knew it, he had turned 18 and hadn't seen his friends since that night in the Fire Nation Palace.

Although, not a day went by that he didn't think of her. Countless letters had kept him informed of all the improvements that the Northern Water Tribe had helped implement in Katara's village. She told stories of how Sokka had really grown into his role as one of the village's prominent leaders. Aang made sure to tell her of all his adventures and all the prestigious people he had met along the way. He and Zuko had eventually been forced to resign their differences and work towards a new free Fire Nation. His uncle had gladly accepted Aang's proposal for a Firebending teacher, and he had spent the first several months learning his final element and perfecting his craft. That's what had started the past six years for him…

He had built Ba Sing Se back from the ashes, banishing the Dai Lei and helping the Earth King resume his place on the throne. New Ozai went back to being Omashu with the help of King Bumi. Somewhere along the way, Aang had somehow convinced himself that if he looked hard enough, he might find some Air Nomads hiding in the mountainous terrain somewhere in the Earth Kingdom. He had looked fervently for over two years with no such luck, but his hopes remained high. He had already done so much.

And it all happened so fast… yet not so fast at all.

It had been six long years and there was still so much to do… When the Avatar has been gone for 100 years, Aang figured that it's only natural that he would have some "catching up to do".

"A wedding…" he muttered, hoping against all odds that Katara hadn't finally found someone who could give her everything she deserved: a marriage, a family, a normal life.

He scolded himself mentally at his sudden selfish thought, feeling even more miserable. "She deserves that and so much more… More than what the Avatar can give her," he mumbled tirelessly as he ran his fingers along his brow, the sun finally disappearing behind the Palace walls.

Momo chirped to life beside him, jumping up on his shoulder. "But if she's found someone who can make her happy… Well… I guess that's good enough for me."

He sighed heavily as he grabbed the rolled up parchment and stuffed in his tunic, "Well Momo," he said suddenly, "Maybe I should find some warmer clothes before we leave, huh?"

Momo chirped loudly in agreement as Aang let a small smile emerge at the thought of seeing Katara smile again.


	2. Home

**A/N: **Thanks so much for all the reviews! Here's the next chap, hope it answers some questions for ya…

_**Home**_

The cooler air that breezed across Aang's skin only caused his heart to race even more fervently in his chest and his awareness of the butterflies occupying his stomach to heighten. He shivered involuntarily, not because of the icy waters that crashed beneath him or the freezing temperatures he was entering. To say he was nervous would be an understatement. His anxiety tingled in his fingertips and turned his insides in knots of worry and doubt.

"Maybe I should have written her back saying that I was coming instead of trying to surprise her…" he worried out loud. "What if she doesn't recognize me? What if she doesn't like what she sees? What if she doesn't like how I've changed?"

He groaned as he gripped Appa's reigns tighter, "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. I don't know if I can watch Katara marry someone else…"

Appa grunted loudly.

"I know she didn't say it was her wedding… But she didn't say that it _wasn't _her wedding either!" Aang argued halfheartedly, appreciative of his furry friends' presence.

He sighed deeply, inhaling the salty sea air and filling his lungs with the distant scent of stewed sea prunes. "Well… at least the food hasn't changed," he moaned. He laughed at the disgusted look on Momo's face as his delicate nostrils also caught the scent. "Man, it must really be bad if you think it stinks, Momo!" he chuckled.

He felt Appa pick up speed as the Southern Water Tribe village came into view. "Well guys," he sighed, trying to steady his nerves, "There it is… home."

He felt his lips curl into an involuntary smile as Appa landed tiredly near the shore line. "Thanks buddy," Aang encouraged as he airbended himself from the flying bison, "It's been a while since you've had to fly through the night like that, huh?"

As Appa grunted in reply, Aang looked around the icy barren shoreline. His eyes drifted to the rift separating the village from the harsh ocean winds. He suddenly had the overwhelming urge to break into a run as he couldn't wait another minute to see Katara and Sokka.

He pulled on his dark cobalt parka, which he had finally found at a "curio shop" over by the docks in the Fire Nation after spending an entire day searching for one. No doubt it had been picked up in the Northern Water Tribe by the questionable shopkeepers. He situated the hood over his bald head to keep his heat from escaping him.

"Momo, stay here with Appa. I'll be back in a little bit with some food for you guys," he said as he pulled on a pair of mittens, his fingers defrosting in their warmth. He quickly began the trudge up the snow towards the pillars of campfire smoke billowing from behind the ridge.

When he reached the top of the ridge, he paused.

"This place sure has changed…" he mumbled to himself, taking in the beautiful ice sculptures and decorative artifacts that dotted the village. The tents were still there and still made of some kind of animal hide that Aang didn't wish to think about identifying. However, they were much bigger than he remembered. Perhaps the biggest change was the number of people he saw. Men, women, children, grandparents… The small village seemed to have suddenly expanded its occupancy ten fold since the last time Aang had been there.

He breathed deeply, trying to calm his nervously racing heart as he started his descent into the village.

He passed by numerous people he didn't recognize and a few that he did. Bato was busy stringing a line of fish. When Aang caught eye contact with him, he didn't more than blink than give Aang any type of friendly smile or greeting. 'He must not recognize me… What if Katara doesn't recognize me either?!' Aang thought frantically. He briefly entertained the idea of asking Bato if he knew where Katara and Sokka were, but he shrugged the thought away, deciding he'd surely come across them soon.

As he continued deeper into the village, he blushed at the number of young girls that smiled slyly at him, some even going as far as winking. Not that he wasn't used to unusual attention, it kind of goes with being the Avatar… But he had never grown accustomed to the amplified attention he seemed to always get from the opposite sex.

He smiled and laughed nervously as he tightened his hood around his head, being sure his arrow was hidden out of plain view. 'Who knows what they would do if they knew I was the Avatar…' he shuddered at the thought as a sharp feminine voice rang out behind him...

"Are you deaf or a retarded hogmonkey?! I said I don't need any assistance, you bafoon!"

Aang instantly straightened up at the all-too-familiar voice, his ears perked and his brow creased.

He turned around slowly to a rather entertaining scene that was taking place only a few yards away. A young man, seemingly about Aang's age, blushed brilliantly as he bowed over and over again, apologizing immensely for apparently upsetting the woman he was talking to.

Aang smiled inadvertently at the young woman before suddenly realizing who she was…

"Toph?! Is that you?"

The young woman turned towards his voice, her pale eyes focusing just over his shoulder, "Twinkle Toes?!"

Aang's face erupted in a grin as he walked over to where Toph was standing. As he got closer, he realized how much his young friend had changed since the last time he had seen her. It'd been almost four years since he had visited the Earth Kingdom city when she had happened to be in Ba Sing Se with her parents. He saw the Bei Fong's at the celebration of the Earth King's first year back at his throne.

She had definitely gotten taller, standing only a couple of inches under him. She was dressed, as he, in a warm Water Tribe parka tied tightly at the neck line, but the green headband in her hair still held back her ebony hair. He was honestly shocked at how feminine she looked, and he blushed when he realized that he had been eying her head to toe the entire walk over.

"I'd recognize those footsteps anywhere… But what's with the nervousness Twinkle Toes?" Toph asked as he approached. "You're shaking so bad I could feel the vibrations even in the ice!"

"Oh…uh… I'm just surprised to see you here Toph. That's all."

Toph briefly looked as if she would argue, but decided the vibrations were too fuzzy through the thick blanket of ice and snow to tell if he was truly lying or not. She puffed a short laugh and decided a friendly punch in the shoulder would do just fine, "Why wouldn't I be here? Sokka demanded that the wedding be here and you know how Sokka gets when he gets his mind set on something."

He rubbed his shoulder as he answered, "Yeah… Katara told me about that…"

An awkward silence followed and Aang couldn't stand not knowing any longer. "So, Toph... Katara wasn't really very specific in the letter she sent. Whose wedding is this anyways?"

Toph's expression went blank before a sly smile spread its way across her mouth, "You mean you don't know?"

Aang shook his head, then remembering she was blind said, "No… She said something about a promise she made to someone about not telling me yet…"

Toph brought her hand up to her face, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, "Is that so… Well, I knew that you guys haven't seen each other in a few years, but I never dreamed that Katara would keep something like a wedding a secret from you…" she muttered, almost more to herself than anything else.

Aang's face fell into a frown and his heart seemed to plummet to his feet, "Oh… So it _is_ her wedding then?"

Toph smiled sympathetically and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder, "Maybe you should go talk to her. I'm sure you guys have a lot of catching up to do."

Aang managed a weak smile, "It's sure good seeing you again Toph. I guess I should go find the bride and congratulate her, huh?"

"Shouldn't be too hard to do, Twinkle Toes…" she bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing.

Aang turned to continue his search for Katara. "You're going to be here until the wedding, right?" he asked suddenly, almost tripping into a display of ice artifacts.

She grinned triumphantly to keep from laughing, "I couldn't really be anywhere else!"

Aang smiled back, "Yeah… Okay Toph. I'll see you around then!"

His smile, however, dropped abruptly as he turned back around. Suddenly, he felt like he would be sick. The knots in his stomach seemed to twist violently at the thought of Katara marrying someone else. 'So it's true then…' he thought miserably. 'She's really going to get married.'

He stopped at a frozen water fountain in the middle of the street and peered down into his reflection in the ice. 'What do you mean?! Of course she's going to get married! This is Katara… she's perfect in every way. You didn't think she'd stay single forever did you?' his reflection seemed to argue.

He sighed as he analyzed his face in the frozen fountain. His stormy grey eyes seemed even greyer than usual and his face seemed suddenly older and not his own. He really had changed a lot… He was older and taller, of course. But in six years he had grown mature, wise, and strong, finally looking and feeling the role of the Avatar as a man, not just a boy.

He slowly bended some warmth into his hands, realizing his fingers felt numb from the cold as he tore his eyes away from the ice. As his mittens warmed, he trudged through the small town, lost in his own thoughts of how to tell the girl he loved he was happy for her wedding.


	3. Two to Find You

**A/N: **This chap is longer than the other two. I fit a lot into this one, including another flashback! (You can be expecting more of those as we go along…) Anyways hope you enjoy!

_**Two to Find You**_

It wasn't long before Aang realized that he had walked the entire length of the village… twice… and _still _hadn't seen Katara… Or Sokka for that matter…

He let out a long sigh as he sat down in the snow near the edge of the village, his back to the sun. With a frustrated groan, he lay back in the snow, peering up into the cloudless sky. His mind raced with unanswered questions, 'Where is she? What am I going to say to her when I see her? Why did I wait this long to come back?'

He closed his eyes, feeling the warmth of the sun on his face as his thoughts went to the night before the invasion over six years ago…

_The moon was full. Its light speckled through the trees, casting the bay in a cool pale glow. The ocean horizon spanned out in front of him and an outline of a camp dotted the forest floor behind him, his comrades preparing for the battle ahead. _

_The air was warm, as is the nature of the Fire Nation territory. Heat seemed to radiate from the very ground he sat on, a reminder of what was to come…_

_And Aang thought... His mind raced with images and scripts of what he knew must happen tomorrow. He didn't feel nervous. He didn't feel scared. He didn't really feel anything but… confused._

_With the weight of the world on his shoulders and the lives of thousands in his hands, all he could think about was her. Her smile, her hair, her eyes, her hands, her lips… His mind flooded with images of her laughing, crying, yelling, talking… He couldn't stop the barrage of thoughts berating his mind. Nor did he want to…_

_Tomorrow held untold answers to unasked questions. Questions laced with cerulean ocean eyes, warm tan skin, and soft mahogany hair…. But there was one question in particular that raced through his mind in torrid circles… _

"_What if I don't come back?" he asked himself out loud, pulling his legs to his chest and resting his chin on his knees. "What if I don't come back and she never knows the truth?"_

_He closed his eyes, willing unshed tears to cease and the lump in his throat to dissolve. Telling her wasn't the problem, it wasn't a matter of if… but a matter of when… For he knew he should be focusing on things other than his feelings for a girl not expressed._

_Behind him, the rustle of leaves and crackling of branches broke the silence. Without opening his eyes he knew who was approaching. He knew her smell, the way her footsteps sounded, and the sigh in her breath…_

"_Hey Katara," he responded softly as she sat down beside him._

"_How'd you know it was me?" she asked, her voice melting the confusion inside him. _

_He smiled at her, appreciative for her company, "I always know it's you…" he said simply. _

_She smiled back, and he had to quickly avert his attention to the full moon above them to keep his heart from racing out of his chest. "Couldn't sleep?" he asked once he had regained his composure._

_She, too, diverted her attention to the wide white moon above them, "I never can during a full moon." _

_Aang simply nodded understandingly. The lull of silence that followed was soothing, and the he felt calmed and comforted by her presence beside him. She always seemed to know just what to do to change his mood. He was startled when she finally broke the silence…_

"_Aang… I want you to promise me something…" she whispered in a hesitant way that made Aang want to promise the world to her._

_He moved his eyes to the ocean horizon in front of them, "What's that Katara?" _

_She sighed, closing her eyes as she spoke, "I want you to promise me that… that you'll come back." _

_His heart wrenched with emotion as he looked over at her, surprised by her sudden childlike expression. It was almost as if she was pleading with him… Pleading for his life… _

_His eyes softened as he replied, "Katara, you know I can't promise that. Neither of us can know for sure what will happen tomorrow." _

_Even he was surprised at his response. It wasn't like Aang to display such grounding reality in a situation as this…_

_She nodded understandingly, "I know…" she said softly. _

_He reached out to her before he knew what he was doing, pulling her against his chest and soothing her hair with his hands. She gasp at his sudden gesture, but quickly melted into his embrace as he spoke softly, "Katara… I can't promise you that I'll be okay after tomorrow… But I can promise you this…"_

_She pulled out of his arms, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. His twelve year old voice sounded older and not his own as he spoke, "No matter what happens tomorrow, I will always be with you."_

_She managed a weak smile, wiping at tears in her eyes. He smiled on instinct and her eyes lit up with an emotion that Aang couldn't read. Suddenly, he felt words bubbling up inside of him that he couldn't control. He couldn't tell her, what would she say? How would she respond? But he wanted to tell her… Now might be his only chance. He wanted to tell her while the tension in the air was just right, but his hesitancy got the best of him. He panicked…_

_Acting on pure reflex alone, he placed a hand on her shoulder and reached up and kissed her. _

_He could still remember that her lips had tasted like ocean breeze._

"LOOKOUT!!"

Aang was completely lost in his thoughts when suddenly he found himself collided in a ball of snow. He jolted back from his memories.

A few feet away a young girl jumped from the penguin she had been sledding on and ran over to untangle Aang from the young boy who had sledded into him. "Tantu!" she scolded as she helped the boy to his feet. "You could have been hurt. I'm so sorry sir. Are you alright?" she directed her question to Aang as he stumbled to his feet.

Aang laughed lightly as he brushed the snow from his parka, "I'm fine! I'm fine!"

The young girl smiled as she turned her attention to the boy now identified as Tantu. Somehow she reminded Aang of Katara, though she seemed to be somewhere in the field of ten years old. "My name is Kya and this is my friend Tantu." Her eyes suddenly got very wide and she clamped her hand over her mouth. "Oh wow! You're…. you're the Avatar!"

"Huh?" Aang suddenly realized that his hood was draped over his shoulders and had apparently gotten knocked off during the collision. "Oh… yeah," he resigned as he pulled the hood back up over his head. "But you can call me Aang."

"The Avatar, huh?" the boy narrowed his eyes at Aang, seemingly sizing him up. "So show us some cool Avatar tricks then."

"Tantu!" Kya elbowed her friend in the side. "Knock it off!"

She looked back at Aang apologetically, "Sorry about my friend. He's kind of the skeptical type…"

Aang smiled in reminisce, "I know the type, no need to apologize." He paused, with a mischievous look in his eye, "Hey Tantu… Watch this!"

Tantu's eyes lit up with the hope of seeing an amazing display of bending the four elements. Aang reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of marbles and began spinning them in circles in between his palms. "Huh?! Huh?! Pretty cool, huh?"

Tantu rolled his eyes and plopped back down in the snow while Kya giggled and clapped her hands lightly.

Aang smiled triumphantly, "At least someone appreciates my greatness."

"So… _Avatar Aang_, what exactly are you doing here in the Southern Water Tribe?" Tantu asked through skeptical eyes.

Aang rubbed at his neck nervously and stuffed the marbles back into his pocket, "Oh… Actually I'm uh… I'm looking for a friend of mine…"

"Oh! You must mean Master Katara!!" Kya interrupted before Aang could finish.

"Uh… Yeah," Aang wrinkled his brow. "How'd you…"

Kya smiled dreamily and suddenly grabbed Aang by the arm. "Come on, Tantu and I can take you to her!"

Before Aang had the chance to object, Kya was pulling him through town excitedly, Tantu following close behind with an annoyed look on his face. She pulled him past a small tent and turned up a hill close by. "I think her class gets done sometime soon," she said over her shoulder.

"Class? I didn't know Katara was taking a class…" Aang asked, more to himself because Kya was too busy giggling to hear him. 'Why does it seem like everyone around here knows something that I don't?' Aang thought as they neared the top of the hill.

Before he could finish his thought, Aang found himself looking at what seemed to be a class of students learning waterbending. A group of ten young boys and girls stood in a grid, each pulling a weave of water in an intricate pattern around them. He was entranced with their rhythm and as Kya finally let go of his arm, he stood motionless watching their elaborate dance-like movements. He smiled as the children moved the stream of water between them seamlessly.

In the distance he could see a young woman walking in between the students, analyzing their style and critiquing their movements. "Alana, spread your feet further apart. Remember students, a strong foundation keeps us firm." She moved gracefully between the children, her mahogany hair pulled into a long braid that trailed down her back except for the few strands that fell around her face and blew slightly in the breeze.

Kya looked to Aang with wide hopeful eyes, but Aang was too busy watching the young woman to know it. Suddenly, his knees went weak and he thought his heart had literally stopped when he realized who the woman was.

"Katara?" Aang realized barely above a whisper.

Kya squealed in delight and grabbed Tantu's arm, "Isn't this so romantic?!"

Tantu laughed nervously as Aang began walking slowly towards the class.

"Good work today my pupils." Katara smiled as the students let the water slowly sink into the snow. "Tomorrow we will work on some more specialized movements."

In unison the students bowed to Katara as she returned the gesture. The children then began talking amongst themselves, laughing and yelling as they ran past Aang back towards the village.

But Aang didn't notice them…

'It's her... It's Katara... She's here…' Aang's mind was racing with what to say when he finally reached her. She looked so… different. He never dreamed that Katara could ever be more beautiful than how he remembered her when they were kids. But he was astonished at what six years had done for Katara's figure and her poise. 'She's a Master now… and she looks so…'

Words seemed to fall short as Aang tried to come up with a way to describe her.

He had been so focused on how he had changed that he never stopped to think about how Katara must have grown up too. He just ignorantly assumed she would look exactly as she had when he had last seen her at the Fire Nation Palace six years ago. In his dreams she was still young and innocent and the same Katara that he had grown to love.

And here she was standing before him… a woman.

He drew a deep shaky breath before he approached her. She had her back turned to him, and was leaning down talking with a student. Even from where he stood, the breeze caught her familiar scent, only causing his heart to beat even more furiously and his head to spin uncontrollably. He seemed to be in a dream sequence as he opened his mouth hesitantly…

"Ka… Katara?"

His voice seemed shaky and unsure, even to himself and he cleared his throat and drew another deep calming breath before he tried again.

"Katara?"

Katara stopped what she was doing almost instantly at the sound of his voice, so deep and smooth, but with a hauntingly familiar quality to it. Her legs felt weak underneath her as she turned to face him.

"Master Katara!" The child she had been talking to gave Aang a look of disappointment for being interrupted, but Aang didn't see it.

The silence between them was numbing and he was too busy trying to think of something to say…

"Katara… I… um… I got your letter," he finally said lamely. The words seemed to come out of nowhere, and he was sure that later he wouldn't remember saying them.

Katara just continued to look at him blankly, as if she had seen a ghost. Suddenly, her creamy tanned face turned a sickly pale color. Aang opened his mouth to ask if she was feeling alright, but before he could get any words out Katara went limp and fell to the snow.

"Katara!" he ran to her side, lifting her head out of the snow. "Are you okay?!"

She slowly opened her eyes with a confused look on her face as she brought her hand to her forehead. "What… what happened?" she asked hoarsely, deep cerulean eyes meeting stormy ocean grey.

"I think you fainted," Aang answered numbly, unaware of anything else but her beautiful blue eyes.

Katara's eyes suddenly seemed to register on him and she slowly brought a hand to his face, almost assuring herself that he was really there and she wasn't just dreaming. "Aang? Is that…you… is it really you?"

Her touch was electrifying, and Aang felt like he could melt into her. The sound of her voice speaking his name made his head spin and he suddenly hadn't realized how incredibly much he had missed her. He closed his eyes as she lowered his hood to reveal the infamous blue tattoo on his forehead. "It's me Katara…" he answered as he opened his eyes again.

Katara's eyes slowly welled with tears and everything seemed to move in slow motion as he suddenly had the overwhelming urge to pull her into his arms. He held her against his chest, her scent of lavender and moonlillies over taking him.

"I can't believe it's you…" she whispered through the tears. "I can't believe you came."

Aang smiled into her shoulder, "Of course I came," he reasoned softly. "I couldn't miss my best friend's wedding!" He laughed lightly, trying to sound cheerful but failing miserably.

Katara didn't seem to notice as she pulled out of the embrace, her bright blue eyes still brimming with unshed tears. "I missed you so much Aang…" she said hoarsely. "It's been so long…"

Aang smiled as he slowly stood up and offered her his hand. "I missed you too."

She gave him a look that Aang had trouble reading before she took his hand and allowed him to pull her to her feet. She closed her eyes, drew a deep breath, and when she opened them again she seemed calmer. "So I guess you want to see Sokka now?"

Aang thought the question a little strange, and for the time being had completely forgotten about his desire to see Sokka. "Well… yeah… but I mean… I thought maybe we could talk for a while first."

She smiled at him, which again caused him to feel dizzy and weak-kneed. "I'd like that, Aang."

He quickly regained his composure, finding new confidence. He grinned, "Has _Master _Katara had lunch yet?"

Katara rolled her eyes playfully, "Why no _Avatar _Aang… I sure haven't!"

"Master Katara!" Aang turned to see Kya running towards them, pulling Tantu behind her much in the same way she had dragged Aang here. She blushed slightly as she approached them and Tantu pulled his arm out her grasp. "I uh… I just wanted to…" she trailed off.

Katara smiled warmly at the young girl and placed her hand on her shoulder, "Aang, this is one of best students, Kya."

Aang smiled and gave the little girl a wink, "Yes… Kya and I have already met."

Kya's blush deepened at Aang's gesture as Katara laughed and continued, "Then I'm sure you've met Tantu. The two are literally inseparable."

Aang nodded, "Tantu and I have met as well. Though his greeting was a little more… rough and tumble."

Tantu laughed nervously as Katara gave Aang a brief questioning look, "Well… Anyways, Kya and Tantu are in my advanced class. In fact," Katara paused as if she was debating on whether or not to finish her sentence, "Tantu kind of reminds me of you when we were kids."

Aang smiled as he remembered thinking that Kya had reminded him of Katara when he first saw her. "Is that so?"

Katara laughed, "I swear he's got an Airbender's carefree spirit…"

Aang chuckled, "Well… Kya and Tantu helped me find you. I've been walking all over town looking for you for the past hour."

Kya beamed with pride as Katara answered, "In that case… I would say that they we probably owe them."

Aang nodded his head in thought.

"We're pretty hungry!" Tantu piped up, earning a sideways glare from Kya.

Aang and Katara laughed as Aang answered, "Well then… what do you two say to lunch with me and Katara?" He gave Katara a look of questioning as he asked them and she nodded her approval.

"Lunch it is!" Katara led the way off the training grounds, Aang by her side, and Kya and Tantu following closely behind.

**A/N: **Reviews are appreciated! I try my best to reply to everyone:)


	4. A Congratulations is in Order

**A/N: **I am shocked and pleased at the number of reviews I am getting for this fic! Keep 'em coming! I love reading feedback. Anyways, here's the next chap… (And yes… you will find out whose wedding it is, well half of it at least!)

_**A Congratulations is in Order**_

It was a short walk to the small restaurant and Aang commented dozens of times on how much the Southern Water Tribe had changed since he had last seen it.

Katara explained how the Northern Tribe had spent years helping them rebuild and how dozens of villagers had decided to stay once the restoration was complete, turning from the sexist political view of their sister tribe to a more simple and democratic lifestyle here. Aang was amazed at how different it looked, yet still similar to its simple roots.

As they entered the small tavern, they chose a spot near the central fire pit to sit and eat. Aang pulled his parka up over his head and hung it on a peg near the front entrance. He stuffed his mittens in his pockets and could feel his blood warming as he bended heat into his body to defrost.

Katara kept her parka on for the time being and Aang ducked his head as all eyes in the tavern went to the arrow on his forehead. He groaned as several mutters lifted from the crowd and one woman stood up and pointed, "Is that the Avatar?!"

Aang gave a small chuckle and a wave, "Hi."

A few annoyed glances from Katara, several autographs, and one kiss on the cheek later, the four took their seats, ordered their food, and made small talk as they awaited their meal. Aang told them how he had mastered all four elements and had spent the last six years helping to rebuild the free world, much as the southern village had been rebuilt. He told stories about how he and Zuko had to come to terms with their differences for the better of the Fire Nation, and surprisingly enough ended up being pretty good friends. The two children listened intently as he described how he had spent over two years searching the world for any surviving Airbenders, Kya commenting more than once on how sorry she was for Aang's loss.

As he spoke, Aang could feel Katara's eyes on him, and on more than one occasion he wiped at his face and neck thinking he must have something stuck to his face for her to be staring like that. Finally he couldn't take it anymore, "Katara… do I have something on my face?"

Katara shook herself of her thoughts, "Huh?"

"It's just…" Aang chuckled, "You keep looking at me and I'm thinking I must have something on my face…"

Katara laughed nervously, "Oh… No… No, there's nothing on your face. Sorry… It's just…" she paused unsurely, "You look so… different."

Aang felt his spirits fall, "Different?"

Katara suddenly heard the disappointment in his voice, "Oh! No, not bad different. Just… different." She smiled as she caught his eyes and placed a hand on his arm. His heart skipped a beat, "You look good Aang."

Aang felt a blush rising to his cheeks and he cleared his throat, "Oh… uh, t-thanks." He managed a smile through his humility.

Katara smiled slyly, seemingly pleased with his more than modest reaction, "I mean gosh Aang… You must get all kinds of attention from the ladies."

Aang laughed nervously and Kya giggled, which egged Katara on even more, "All that Avatar training has really buffed you up, huh? You're down right muscular!"

Aang cleared his throat, rubbing his bare shoulders, tightening the neck of his tunic and suddenly wishing he had left the parka on, "Katara… I uh… You know… I've just been working really hard these past few years, that's all."

Katara smiled good-naturedly, "Aang, relax. I'm just giving you a hard time…"

Aang relaxed and returned her smile with a 'phew' expression as their server began passing out their meals.

He was gracious for the following lull in conversation as the four stuffed their mouths with stew and bread. He wasn't quite sure what to think of Katara's flirtatious comments and he found himself wondering nervously just how tall her husband-to-be stood. This, of course, reminded him that he had yet to congratulate Katara on her engagement…

Katara couldn't help but notice the unmistakable poignant dull that had suddenly found its way into Aang's eyes. Aang opened his mouth to give his congratulations just as Katara opened hers to ask Aang what was wrong.

"Katara I just…"

"Aang what's wr…"

But they were both cut short when Tantu piped up. "So, Avatar Aang…" he mumbled through a mouthful of stew before swallowing. "How do you know Master Katara? Were you guys like boyfriend and girlfriend or something?"

Both Aang and Katara looked at each other, both still mid-sentence before they snapped their mouths shut simultaneously and looked at Tantu with reddened cheeks.

Kya elbowed Tantu in the ribs, "Tantu! That's none of your business!"

"What?! I've heard the stories… I just want to know if they're true!" Tantu answered defensively. "Don't you?"

At this, Kya seemed intrigued. "Well yeah…" she looked at Katara thoughtfully. "Master Katara, how _do _you know the Avatar?"

The silence that followed was awkward and uncomfortable to say the least. Aang chewed nervously on the inside of his cheek. Katara finally broke the tension, which Aang was immensely gracious for, "Kya, Aang and I knew each other when we were kids," she said simply.

"Wow," Tantu exclaimed, "So then, did you really help the Avatar take down Fire Lord Ozai?!"

"Uh…" Katara stammered for some reason even she couldn't explain.

So Aang answered for her, glad that the conversation had veered from them being boyfriend and girlfriend to that of the fall of Ozai. "Yes. Katara and her brother Sokka were both part of the invasion force. In fact… Katara even taught me my first waterbending!"

At this both children's eyes grew wider and Tantu even dropped his piece of bread he had been munching on. "Really?!" they both asked excitedly.

"You mean… I'm learning from the Master who taught the _Avatar?!"_ Tantu asked incredulously.

Aang nodded, noticing the small smile accompanying Katara's blush. He grinned, suddenly aware of his opportunity to get back at Katara for teasing him earlier. "Do you guys want to hear about how she convinced Master Pakku in the Northern Tribe to take her as a student?"

Katara found her voice and cut in before either child could respond, "Believe it or not… I'm sure they've probably already heard that one."

Tantu just nodded, "Master Pakku told us that story when he first came here. For some reason I think he was proud of it…"

Kya grinned, "She _was _named one of the most powerful Waterbenders in the whole tribe!"

Katara just smiled humbly and Aang nodded approvingly, "She's pretty amazing, huh?" He suddenly turned to Katara with a warm smile and reminiscent eyes. His tone of voice changed, his face softening as he spoke, "Taking down Ozai was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. I could have never done it with her…"

Tantu stuffed his mouth with another gulp of stew as Kya smiled dreamily, "So you _were_ in love then?" she asked suddenly.

Aang thought his stomach had literally dropped to his feet and his heart felt like it was in his throat. "Well… um Kya… Katara and I… you see…" he stammered, his voice squeaking in a way that it hadn't since he had hit puberty barely six years ago.

Katara just smiled at Kya. "That was a long time ago Kya," she answered modestly, though her voice cracked slightly.

Aang felt his heart drop to the level of this stomach. "Yeah… a long time ago…" he muttered, barely over a whisper. He drew a deep breath and forced a smile, "Katara has a new life now and lots of new and exciting things going on."

Katara looked at Aang questionably as he continued. "Which reminds me that there is still something that I haven't congratulated you on," he said through a forced smile that didn't reach the forlorn look in his eyes.

"Congratulate me?" she questioned. "Aang what are you…?"

"I saw Toph earlier while I was looking for you…" he explained numbly. "She told me whose wedding it was."

Katara suddenly got an all-too-familiar disgusted look on her face. "She what?!"

"Katara it's okay…" Aang said suddenly. "I'm happy for you."

"I can't believe she did that! The next time I see her I'm going to…" Katara suddenly stopped mid-sentence and turned to Aang. "Wait. What? You're happy for _me_?"

"Well yeah…" he answered with a confused look on his face. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Katara looked to Kya and Tantu, analyzing their expressions to see if they knew anything. But their expressions looked just as confused as she felt. "Aang…" she said as she turned back to him, wrinkle in her brow, "I don't follow… _Why _are you happy for _me_?"

Aang felt like his head might explode. If this was Katara's attempt at a joke, he wasn't laughing. "Katara…" he started, still wearing a fake smile that didn't match his tone of voice. "You're getting married. Of course I'm happy for you…" he paused, trying to read her shocked expression. "Aren't you?"

Katara leaned back in her chair, speechless. She opened her mouth to say something, but when the words wouldn't come, she snapped it back shut again, her only expression reading pure confusion.

Aang looked among the group nervously, deciding to fill his mouth with stew so he wouldn't have to say anything either.

So Tantu took it upon himself to break the silence, "Master Katara isn't getting married," he stated matter-of-factly. "Her brother is."

The stew that had been in Aang's mouth only seconds before found its way across the table and in the faces of three very shocked Waterbenders. He stared wide eyed as a wave of relief washed over him so strongly he thought he might be knocked to the floor.

Instantly, Katara looked at Aang with an expression that read somewhere between surprised and… was that… hurt? "You thought _I _was the one getting married?" she asked in a hushed voice as she bended the stew out of her hair and clothes.

Aang helped bend the stew out of the three's hair and clothes with an apologetic smile, "I thought… well… I mean Toph…" he stuttered.

Katara's expression changed to that of disgust, "Toph… I am going to kill her! I can't believe she told you that I was the one getting married! Is this her way of getting back at me for insisting she wear a dress at the ceremony?"

"Well, actually Katara…" Aang interrupted, remembering his conversation with the blind Earthbender, "She didn't actually say anything," he rubbed at his neck nervously, "I just assumed…"

"What?" Katara met Aang's eyes. "Why would you just automatically assume that it was _my _wedding?"

"Well," Aang struggled with words to express how he had spent the past few days convincing himself that Katara was too perfect to stay single forever, "I mean you're… you're you Katara."

Katara wrinkled her brow again while Aang ran his fingers along the edge of table nervously.

Kya, suddenly feeling the need to leave Katara and Aang to their conversation privately, stood up from the table, "Well… it's getting late and it looks like you two have a lot of catching up to do." She turned to Aang and bowed, "It's been very nice to meet you Avatar Aang."

Aang just smiled at the young girl, still in a daze as Tantu handed a few copper pieces to Katara to pay for their meal. They hurriedly rushed out the door to leave Katara and Aang alone at the small table.

As the two sat there at the table in an awkward silence, Aang found himself, again, retreating to his memories as he struggled with a way to apologize…

"_Katara, I'm sorry!" His face was the color of the crimson Fire Nation clothes he was wearing and his head was spinning with pure embarrassment. _

_Dark cerulean eyes fixated in a cold glare on him, and he felt even more frantic with each passing second. "It was an accident I swear!" he pleaded to no avail. _

_Katara sighed forcefully, exhaling a sharp breath between flaring nostrils, "Aang, how could you?!" she asked vehemently. "I trusted you!" _

"_I didn't know you were down here!" he replied, "I thought you went with Toph into town!" He ran his fingers along his brow line, wishing very much that he had taken Sokka up on his game of Pai Sho instead of coming down to the water to practice bending. _

_Katara folded her arms across her chest, her damp clothes clinging to her as she had temporarily forgotten her ability to control water. "Well I didn't…" she answered, "Is it too much to ask for a little privacy?!" _

_Aang sighed, frustrated with himself, the situation, and everything else... He stared at the ground beneath his feet, running his toes in circles in the sand, "If it makes you feel any better… I didn't see anything." He had tried to sound apologetic, but his embarrassment actually made it sound a little disappointed…_

_Exasperated, Katara threw her hands up into the air, "Yeah Aang, that makes me feel loads better!" she replied sarcastically. _

_Aang groaned, "I'm sorry… I didn't mean… I just… It was an accident. I just wanted to come practice some bending moves Katara! I had no idea you were bathing down here!" his voice rose unintentionally with each syllable until he realized his was shouting. "I'm sorry…" he muttered, shifting his eyes to the ground again._

_Katara was shocked by his outburst at first. She grunted, finally deciding to bend the water of her clothes that she had thrown on so frantically. It had to happen quickly when she had heard Aang gasp upon seeing her nude in the water only minutes before. Satisfied that she was dry, she began pulling the water out of her hair so she could braid it._

_That's when she noticed Aang was laughing… _

"_What's so funny?" she asked hotly through a softening glare. _

"_N-nothing," Aang chuckled. _

_Katara crossed her arms again and gave him a look that plainly read, 'Tell me… or else…' Aang cleared his throat nervously and responded, "It's just… It's kind of a funny situation…" his prepubescent voice squeaked with nervousness as he awaited her response. "Isn't it?"_

_She finally gave into the situation and allowed herself a small smile and a soft chuckle. _

_Aang smiled back, appreciative for her change of heart. _

_Katara turned on her heels to head back up to the camp as she said over her shoulder, "Even if you didn't see anything… I wouldn't let Sokka find out if I were you…"With that, she thrust her arms behind her drenching Aang from head to toe as a wave of water came crashing down on him. _

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry if the little flashback at the end was kind of weird. I wanted to write one in which Aang had to apologize to Katara and it was actually pretty hard to come up with something. I remembered the scene in "The Runaway" where Sokka and Toph were talking and Katara is under them taking a bath and it made me think… Hm… wonder where Aang is? lol Anyways, it's total innocence and you can believe Aang entirely when he told her that he didn't see anything!! I hope you guys are enjoying the flashbacks, they're meant to develop Aang and Katara's relationship, kind of show what they've been through together and how it led up to Aang allowing Katara to go home with a promise that he'd come to her soon….

Also, I know a lot of you are commenting in your reviews about shipping and whose wedding it is and all that… Let me just say that I, personally, don't really understand the whole shipping thing. I write characters the way I see them in the show. Aang is in love with Katara, that much we know for sure. And it's obvious that Aang has a very special place in Katara's heart… As far as whose wedding is approaching, I again, wrote Sokka the way I see him in the show… You can see for yourself what I mean when I post the next chapter:)


	5. Hands

**A/N: **Well… this will probably be the only update this weekend because I have a test on Monday in my High Acuity class. I know… It's sad. But you can't complain too much… This is the fifth update in five days:)

_**Hands**_

Katara had always noticed Aang's hands.

When they were kids, his hands were small, no bigger than her own. They were soft and carefree, like an Airbender's should be, but firm and calloused from molding the Earth. When he used them to shape her element, they were smooth and graceful, like he was conducting an orchestra of water, and the warmth they always held foretold of his eventual craft of Firebending. He always moved his hands with purpose, bending the elements with just the flick of a wrist. The arrows tattooed on them were a strong symbol of his lost heritage, and when they were younger she often traced them with her eyes, fantasizing about their mysterious origins.

So as the awkward silence accompanied their small table in the tavern, Aang found himself lost in his own thoughts and Katara found herself once again looking at Aang's hands.

She realized his hands were still there and still his… but they had changed, along with the rest of him. They were larger and she could only imagine that if she were to hold one, hers would feel childlike in comparison. They seemed heavy, like he used them to lift the weight of the world, and yet lighter at the same time, as if he had grown into them at some point along the way. She knew they were stronger just by looking at them, and, of course, the tattoos were still there, and still blue, but they seemed to fit him better as if he had grown into those as well.

And at this exact moment, Aang's hands were fidgeting. His fingers made a dull thump as he nervously drummed them against the table top. They almost seemed to have a mind of their own, a separate entity.

Katara felt herself smiling at his child-like gesture and she even giggled a little at the situation.

The sound of her laughter brought him back from his memories. Aang stopped his fingers midair and raised his eyes to meet hers with confusion in his brow, "Katara?" he chuckled nervously, "What's so funny?"

She sighed with a smile in her eyes, "It's your hands…"

Aang looked at her funny and then down at his hands, "My hands?" He held them out in front of him, inspecting his palms and then the backs of them, "What's wrong with my hands?"

She shook her head, still wearing a content smile of appreciation that Aang couldn't quite interpret, "Nothing. I just missed them… that's all."

Aang paused, meeting her gaze with a confused glint in his eyes before letting himself smile back at her. He felt his face warming up, and tried concentrating on not allowing the heat to reach his cheeks.

He sighed, "Katara… I… I didn't mean to offend you earlier…" he started explaining awkwardly, his fingers tapping against each other nervously. "I mean, when you sent your letter you wouldn't tell me whose wedding it was… then I saw Toph in the market… and I don't know, I guess I just let my imagination get the best of me."

Katara nodded understandingly, "Aang, I wasn't offended. Just… surprised I guess."

"Surprised? Why?" he asked as he slowly began to feel more at ease.

A thoughtful look grazed over Katara's eyes, but she just smiled warmly, brushing her thoughts aside. "Aang, why don't we get out of here? I can give you a tour of the village. There's so much to see that wasn't here the last time you were here."

Aang nodded, defeated, "Yeah Katara, that would be nice." He smiled at her and she returned the gesture, but this time with a certain sadness in her eyes that hadn't been there before.

Aang followed Katara through the streets and canals of the Southern Water Tribe with an awe of wonder. Master Pakku and his students had come through on the promise to help their sister tribe, and had definitely rebuilt the village back from the ashes of warfare and pillage.

A huge ice sculpture of a building sat bull's eye in the center of the village. Katara pointed it out as the Capital Office, where official business concerning the tribe was conducted on a daily basis. Aang felt himself smile proudly when she mentioned that Sokka attended meetings there regularly as Chief Delegate Warrior of the tribe, a position he had naturally stepped into after his eighteenth birthday three years ago.

During development, different districts had been designed to encourage further expansion when needed, including a large market and trading post. Of course several taverns, shops, and restaurants had popped up and Katara eagerly pointed out the library and school that she had helped institute. It had been easy for her to accept a position as a Waterbending Instructor after the first semester, though she was humble when not admitting that she had also been honored as one of the most prestigious benders at the Academy.

On the outer ring of the village sat the ice huts and tents that dotted the perimeter of the entire city, housing the citizens. Behind them, vast expanses of snow and ice extended to the horizon, offering plenty of room to continue development in the future.

Aang smiled serenely, appreciate that he had been a part of the force that helped make all this a reality, as they made their way through the market. Suddenly, he realized that he had been so relieved to hear that Katara was not getting married that he hadn't even commented on Sokka's engagement yet. Further more… he hadn't even asked who it was he was marrying!

"So… Sokka's getting married, huh?" he mused as they sat down at the frozen water fountain that Aang had stopped at earlier.

Katara nodded, averting her eyes to the water that lay beneath the sheet of ice over the fountain, "Yeah."

Aang chuckled, shrugging his shoulders. "Wow… I guess I never really thought that he would be the first one in our group to get married…" he commented with a laugh.

"Well… Actually…" Katara trailed off, swirling her fingers along the ice and causing the water underneath to follow her movements. "Technically, he isn't the first one…"

Aang furrowed his brow, "What do you mean?"

Katara sighed, "Aang, I've already broken one promise to my brother today." She tore her eyes from her bending, focusing them on Aang, "Can't you just wait and ask him yourself at dinner tonight?"

"Dinner?" Aang asked with a frown. Suddenly, he remembered a certain flying bison and one very irritable lemur that he had promised supper to over three hours ago. "Katara, do you know somewhere that we could get Appa something to eat? I brought enough letchi nuts for Momo, but it's hard to pack enough food to satisfy Appa…"

Katara's eyes lit up at the sound of their furry friends' names, "Of course. There's a tundra prairie right behind our house that I'm sure Appa could stay in, and I know where we can get some hay to make a bed."

Aang smiled graciously, "You never cease to surprise me, you know that?"

Katara laughed lightly, "I surprise you? You're one to talk…" She suddenly stood up with a dumbfounded look on her face and dropped her voice about two octaves, "Uh, Katara… I uh… I got your letter…"

Aang laughed with her at her impression, "You're pretty good at that."

When her laughed died off, she stared at him smiling. They locked eyes for a brief second, both reveling in the sound of each other's laughter.

Aang sighed, "You have no idea how much I missed that smile." The words stumbled out of him without him really meaning for them to, and he blushed slightly when he realized what he had said. "I mean… it's uh… it's just nice to see you… again."

Katara chuckled and motioned for him to stand up, "Come on Aang, Appa and Momo might be tearing each other apart if we don't feed them soon…"

* * *

Sokka grumbled, kicking his toes along the ice wall, watching out the window impatiently. It wasn't like her to be gone this long…

Frustrated he crossed his arms across his chest and continued pacing the floor, his dark blue eyes scanning the large ice hut absent mindedly. Whatever reason he had found to worry had escalated until he could vividly picture her mangled body in a canal somewhere. He went to the window again… The sun was setting, which meant it was getting colder. And the wind that howled through the streets and canals foretold of the storm that was approaching. What if she got lost? Why hadn't he insisted on going with her into the market?!

Damn this cursed worry and doubt that had plagued him since Yue's death… Even he knew when he was being irrational and over protective, but he just couldn't help it. He'd lost one love… He refused to be subject to that kind of pain and guilt again.

He caught himself staring at the moon and retreating back to pacing the room, leaving the moonlit window to watch for her return alone.

It was silly… how he always worried that something terrible would happen to her. He knew how much she hated it. It wasn't in her character to be frail and fragile or in any type of situation that would leave her broken and vulnerable. Which is why he had somehow found himself falling for _her_, of all people… He was actually quite shocked when he had found that she shared his feelings, and even more so when she accepted his proposal, especially since he wasn't a bender.

But their relationship had grown, and so had she… When they were kids he hadn't ever really thought her to be beautiful. She was strong, stubborn, and extremely narrow-minded… but she fought for what she believed in and he admired her for it. It was a rare occasion to show her sensitive side and when she did, he found it to be a marvelous happening. When they parted ways, he knew that he'd miss her jokes and light hearted teasing…

But after spending two years apart, he hadn't thought of her as much more than an old friend. He never dreamed he'd happen upon her that day in the small southern Earth Kingdom colony. He never dared think that a simple treaty between nations would end up opening his eyes to the love of his life… He never thought he would see her as beautiful.

Two years had sharpened her features, the soft round child-like qualities of her younger years replaced with high thin cheek bones and long muscular legs. Somewhere along the way she had turned into a woman and he had been speechless to say the least…

Sokka was lost in his thoughts when the door opened, letting in a cold gust of wind that shook him from his reverie. He smiled when she stepped in the room, dark ebony wisps falling in her face from the storm growing outside. He released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

Feeling his tension loosen through the floorboards Toph smiled, "I know I know… Where have I been? What took me so long??"

Sokka just wrapped her up his arms, feeling the ice and snow seep into his clothing from her parka, "I'm glad you're okay…"

* * *

Aang glanced warily at the looming clouds that were blackening the sky above them. He shifted his eyes to the deep snow ahead, Katara laying out a bed of straw and Momo picking through loose bits of hay looking for a snack. "You think he'll be okay out here if it storms?" Aang asked nervously, moving his eyes back up to the darkening sky. "Maybe I should make a shelter for him…"

"I'm sure Appa would appreciate that." Katara mused, smoothing out the last bit of straw and blowing a loose strand of hair out of her face.

Aang nodded, and as easily as moving his arms up in a parallel line, conjured two blocks of frozen tundra to spring from the ice and create a large tent over the bed of hay. Appa took his cue and settled into his earth tent, curling up comfortably on his makeshift bed.

Katara smiled, "I think he likes it!" she shouted over the howling winds that had began whipping through the mountains and swirling through the large snow-covered prairie.

Aang finished the tent with two more swings, creating a huge four walled shelter to protect Appa from the biting winds and ice while leaving enough room in case he needed to get out at some point during the night. He turned his attention back to Katara, who was shivering slightly from the sudden drop in temperature, "How far is your house from here?"

She pointed to a near by ice hut, "Sokka and I share that one there!" she hollered over the wind.

Aang noticed the shiver in her voice, "Let me see your hands!"

"What?!" The gusts of wind that blew past them carried her voice along with it. She tightened her hood around her face and folded her arms across her chest to conserve any body heat.

Aang knew that anything he tried to shout would be lost to the howling winds, so he pulled his mittens off and grabbed her hands, pulling her mittens off as well.

Katara gave him a questioning look, opening her mouth to ask him what on earth he was doing. He gave her a knowing smile that kept her thoughts to herself as he interlaced his fingers with hers so that their palms were touching.

Despite the harsh winds, she blushed brilliantly at the physical contact. She had been right… her hands felt small and dainty and not her own in his grasp. His hands were strong, soft, and surprisingly warm.

Aang closed his eyes, concentrating on using his Firebending to gently transfer heat from his body to hers. Katara gasp when she felt her hands warming slowly between his fingers. As the heat traveled up her arms and engulfed her whole body she stared wide eyed. When the warmth had finally reached her toes, Aang slowly opened his eyes and smiled.

As the snow started falling, Aang dropped her hands and pointed to the hillside of ice huts Katara had pointed at earlier. She took his cue and began the trudge through the snow bank towards her house, a new warmth in her step and a smile in her eyes.

* * *

**A/N: **Yeah! You finally know who is marrying who! And I am sure I have dozens and dozens of happy-go-lucky Tokka fans right now who are pleased! Hope you guys liked this chapter. I didn't realize it at first… but somehow I managed to start this chapter out with hands and end with hands! So I named it "Hands"! lol

Reviews are appreciated!!


	6. Of SeaPrunes and Memories

**A/N: **OK, just to clear up any confusion that might surfacing… With the exception of Katara's letter in the first chapter, _all italicized parts in this story are flashbacks. _They are all from before Aang and Katara's separation six years prior and serve as a way of building up their relationship. I'm sorry that some of my reviewers got a little confused with the last one. I hope that this clears some things up for my readers. :)

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_**Of Sea-Prunes and Memories**_

Despite the sudden drop in temperature, Katara could still feel the burn of Aang's skin on her palms as they made their way into the ice hut. The winds and snow and ice did little to numb the warm feeling that had seeded into her every cell, warming her from the inside out. A smile played across her lips and he eyes sparkled, tiny snowflakes catching her lashes and frosting her hair.

As she pushed through the animal pelt that served as a door, the sweet smell of sea prunes and seaweed stewing over the fire welcomed her home. She couldn't help but smile when she noticed the wrinkle in Aang's nose as he caught the scent.

The small room in the front of the hut that was the main living area was empty, save for a small fire in the hearth and of course their dinner. The wooden planks that made up the floor creaked under her feet as they made their way into the hut, "Um, I think Sokka must be in his room."

Aang nodded, glancing around the small room and eyeing every detail from the animal pelt area rugs to the decorative tribal art hanging on the walls.

"I'm going to go see if I can find him," Katara motioned to a pile of pillows near the fire, "Feel free to make yourself comfortable."

He smiled and sat down near the hearth, "Thanks."

Aang followed Katara's exit with his eyes, feeling her absence more than predicted as she disappeared around the corner that lead to what he presumed to be the bedrooms. He sighed, moving his gaze to the fire lit room surrounding him.

It was small, cozy, and extremely Katara. Her presence seemed to be saturated into every detail of the space. A large vase of moonlillies sat in the window sill that overlooked the tundra prairie where Appa was, and their brilliant white petals blossomed in the cool light of the nearly full moon that showered through the small window.

He smiled when he noticed several artifacts on display from their journeys together as kids. The small Painted Lady statue that had been a gift from the village they had helped redeem sat on a row of shelves on the far wall. The decorative masks they had worn at the "Fire Day" festival hung on the wall near the fire place and the tickets from the Earthbending Tournament where they had first met Toph were framed and hanging beside them. Sokka's boomerang and sword sat against a corner nearby and an old wanted poster for "The Runaway" hung above it.

His smile widened when his gaze landed on the simple necklace that he had made for Katara out of fishing line when she had lost her mother's necklace, it sat neatly on the same shelves that held the Painted Lady statue. Beside it sat a pile of dozens of rolled up parchments that he recognized as his many letters to her over the past six years. He smiled softly as he thought about his own box that sat in his room at the Fire Nation that held her letters…

Several waterbending scrolls were laid out on a small table opposite him, foretelling of Katara's dedication and passion as a bending instructor at the Academy. He found himself shuffling through the parchments, fond memories weaving their way into his sub-consciousness as he fingered their worn edges and intricate designs…

_The water was surprisingly cool under the warmth of the Fire Nation sun that day, and it caused insensible chill bumps to bud all over Aang's body as he entered, ready for another vigorous waterbending session with his favorite sifu. He smiled when she came around the tree she had been changing behind, the white bindings of her undergarments clinging to her hips and chest. He blushed… It seemed he'd been doing that a lot lately._

"_Ok Pupil Aang," she began, that familiar 'teacher look' entering her eyes once again as she lowered into her stance. "Are you ready?" _

_Aang nodded. "Ready when you are Sifu Katara!" he called as he spread his feet apart and readied himself. _

_The training session started as they always did… Katara coming at him over and over with attack after attack, dealing her shots relentlessly as Aang evaded each one. Dodging her water whip, eluding her octopus form, and sidestepping each frozen dagger that was hurled at him… At the end of twenty minutes Katara was out of breath and Aang found that the water didn't seem so cold anymore as he wiped the sweat from his brow. _

_Katara inhaled deeply to catch her breath. "Aang… I think it's time for the next step of your training," she said, her cerulean eyes glittering brightly with excitement._

_Aang took the pause in combat as an opportunity to splash some cool water on his face, "What do you mean?"_

_Katara straightened up, her brow pierced and her eyes staring at him in decision. "I want you to attack me."_

_Aang felt his jaw drop, "What?!" _

"_Attack me…" Katara stated simply, the furrow in her brow deepening. "We've perfected your defensive ability and it's time we started working on your offensive approach. You can't expect to defeat Ozai just by dodging all of his attacks Aang. You've got to be ready to deal some of your own." _

"_But Katara…" Aang started, only to have her glare deepen._

"_Aang… Attack me!" _

_Aang sighed, realizing that her stubbornness would only get in the way of him trying to talk her out of it. Plus… as much as he didn't want to admit it, she was probably right. _

_He let out a deep breath and used its energy to propel a wall of water at Katara. When the wave subsided she stood in the water drenched, with a disappointed look on her face. "Aang…" she sighed, realizing he was holding back. "Come on. I know you can do better than that. Don't worry… I can take it," she assured him as she re-entered her fighting stance._

_Aang filled his lungs with a deep breath, unsurely drawing his arms out in front of him to attack again. He didn't know why he was so surprised when his first wave of water whip attacks was blocked so easily. He decided to pick up the pace a little and drew two long whirlpools of water from the stream and shot their energy at Katara. She diverted the flow of water around her shoulders effortlessly and pushed the force back at him with more strength than he had originally anticipated. He stumbled backwards, using a shield of water in front of him to absorb the impact as he steadied his feet again. _

_She smirked, raising her eyebrows at him in a 'I-told-you-so' gesture with a certain 'make-my-day' expression lacing the corners of her eyes. _

_Aang narrowed his gaze, focusing his energy into his fingertips to release several ice daggers all at once to hurl through the air. _

_It wasn't until he saw the thin trail of scarlet lace across her right shoulder that he realized she had unsuccessfully dodged the last dagger…_

_He was at her side in seconds. "Katara! I'm so sorry!" _

_She hadn't even realized what he was apologizing for until she felt the tiny sting in her arm and the small amount of warm blood under the pads of her fingers. "Aang, it's barely a scratch…" she said as a warm light flooded around her left hand while she healed the shallow wound._

_Aang buried his face in his hands, ashamed that his bending had once again brought harm to her. "I knew it was a bad idea…" he muttered, "What was I thinking?! I hurt you again!" _

_He jumped slightly when he felt her fingers wrap around his hands to pull them from his face. "Hey… it's okay. Look," she motioned to her shoulder with her eyes._

_He sighed as he followed her gaze and found her shoulder to be completely healed. He met her eyes again with a new understanding, "I'm sorry Katara. I should have been more careful." _

_She smiled at him, and that's when he realized that she still had both of his hands in hers… "Apology accepted. And next time… you will." _

_He opened his mouth to object, but she interjected before he could proceed by bending an arm of water to weave around his ankles and pull him head first into the waist deep water. When he surfaced, coughing and sputtering, she was laughing. "Now we're even." _

_He grinned as he wiped the water from his eyes, "Now we're even."_

The sound of feminine laughter brought Aang back from his memories, and he dropped the scroll he had been holding. It clattered to the ground and rolled several feet to the opposite side of the room. He shook himself of his thoughts and grumbled at his clumsiness as he crossed the room and bent down to pick it up.

He was startled when a heavy boot came down softly on his hand right as he reached for the scroll. He moved his eyes up a pair of dark navy trousers and a darker navy anorak. His face split into a grin as his gaze met a pair of steadfast icy blue eyes, "Sokka!"

Sokka shook his head, a grin plastering its way across his face and his eyes lighting up in excitement. "I can't believe it…" he muttered as he raised his foot off the Avatar's hand and pulled the young man to his feet.

Aang chuckled, "Well… believe it."

Sokka ran his fingers along his jaw line, narrowing his gaze at Aang as he slowly started walking around him. "I haven't seen you in what… has it been six years now?" Aang nodded as Sokka pulled at his goatee softly, seemingly deep in thought. "Six years, huh?"

Aang nodded again, a confused look finding its way into his expression, "Yeah Sokka… six years."

Sokka suddenly grabbed Aang in a brotherly hug, patting his back firmly several times with an open palm, "It's good to see ya Aang…"

It was only then that Aang realized that he was the same height as his older friend. He grinned, returning the friendly hug, "Same here buddy."

Sokka pulled back, chuckling to himself and mumbling something about how he still couldn't believe that Aang was there. Aang just smiled and patted Sokka's shoulder lovingly, "So I hear that you're about to be married! Congratulations man!"

Sokka nodded, "Yeah… I guess my big-mouth sister just couldn't keep anything a secret long enough for me to tell you myself…" he muttered.

Aang shook his head eagerly, "Oh… no actually… Well… it's kind of a long story. Just know that she isn't the one who told me…"

Sokka raised his eyebrows as if he were going to ask a question, but decided against it as he made his way over the pot stewing over the fire. "Ya hungry?"

Aang passed a hand over his growling stomach and lifted his gaze back to the mass of stewing sea prunes, "Um… Maybe… A little." Aang's ears perked up at the sound of laughter coming from the other room again, one distinctly Katara's and one… not. "Hey Sokka, is that…"

"Well, I know that you and Toph aren't too big on Stewed Sea prunes, so I asked her to bring some breads and vegetables with her from Gaoling." Sokka said as he used a large wooden spoon to stir the pot, "I'm sure she wouldn't mind sharing…"

"Oh! Toph's here? I saw her earlier in the market today, but I guess I didn't think that she would be staying here with you and Katara…" Aang thought out loud as he craned his neck sideways, trying to see down the hallway to possibly catch a glimpse of whoever it was Katara was laughing with.

Sokka sighed, as if he were listening to a speech he had heard a million times before, "I know I know… It's not tradition for the groom and bride to share the same roof before the ceremony. But I wouldn't let her stay by herself. She's been sleeping in Katara's room if that makes any difference…"

"Groom and…. Bride…" Aang relaxed his posture as his confused expression met Sokka's back. Suddenly his face contorted into a pang of realization, "You mean… Toph?! Toph's the bride?"

Sokka turned back towards his bald friend, smiling despite himself, "You didn't know? Nobody told you?"

Aang chuckled, suddenly realizing what Katara had meant earlier by saying that Sokka wasn't technically the _first _one to get married in their group. He sighed contently as he met Sokka's eyes, "No… I guess no one did."

* * *

Katara sighed, tossing over in her animal skin bedding and staring tirelessly at the ceiling. She rolled her eyes as Toph mumbled something in her sleep. The nearly full moon outside showered her room in a soft pale glow, its energy tingling in her fingers and heightening her senses. The smell of sea prunes and seaweed still wafted in the air around her from dinner and the sound of Sokka's snoring couldn't be missed through the thin walls of their small ice hut.

The evening had been, in one word… perfect. For those few hours it seemed as if the six years that had separated the four friends for so long had melted away. Sokka made crude jokes, Toph made petty insults, Aang made lighthearted small talk, and Katara made herself comfortable in the family that had been apart for so long. All at once they were "Team Avatar" again, laughing and teasing, just like old times. She smiled at the thought.

Just being in Aang's presence again had caused a myriad of lost memories to resurface, and she had spent the better part of the past two hours tossing and turning in bed and recounting dozens of shared moments with the Airbending Avatar. Her mind raced with images, words, smiles, and stormy grey eyes. Although she knew he was probably fast asleep in the next room, regardless of Sokka's incessant snoring, his distance seemed to stretch miles as she replayed the day's events in her mind's eye.

To say that she had been surprised at his reappearance would be the understatement of the century. Her reaction to his greeting had been, in word, embarrassing. She'd never fainted before… How did he suddenly have such a strong effect on her? After six years… she still felt a heated spark from his touch and a warm glow in her chest with the smooth gentleness of his voice.

She sighed, resigning to the fact that her mind wouldn't allow her to succumb to heavy eyelids anytime soon. She pushed back the covers and slipped into a robe. Careful to not wake Toph, she tip-toed out of the room and down the hall, her bare feet padding softly against the cold floor boards.

The small living room was lit by only the dull smolder of burning embers in the fireplace and the cool pale glow of the moon outside. She shivered, suddenly missing the warmth from her bed as she stoked the fire gently to revive the hot coals. She curled up on the hearth, wrapping her arms around her legs and sinking into the mound of pillows by the fire.

Sokka's wedding was in two weeks. In two weeks he and Toph would be… married. It was a strange thought. Her brother… a husband. Sokka… raising a family. She sighed, a warm pride suddenly rising in her chest for her older sibling. Despite their constant bickering, she loved her brother dearly and was truly happy for him.

But she couldn't help but be a little jealous. How had he managed to find happiness before she did? How did he manage to win Toph's love and affection without Katara even realizing her brother had a liking for their blind friend? She smiled, he would always be a mystery to her…

As she stared into the fire, she found herself humming softly into the night. A simple tune that she had known as a child, though she couldn't remember where she had first heard it... It was a song that she could remember being sung by a woman with pale blue eyes and soft tan skin… "I miss you Mom," she murmured as she clutched the pendent of her necklace against her chest. Suddenly a pair of soft grey eyes filled her subconscious and she smiled softly, a single tear tracing down her cheek as she closed her eyes.

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**A/N: **I know, it's kind of a sad way to end the chapter and there wasn't much Kataang fluff… But alas, all the chapters can't be the same, or that would get really boring really fast. Haha, and did you catch that? Sokka has a goatee! I decided to give in to his obession with facial hair in the show and grant him some of his very own!

Reviews are always replied to and greatly appreciated. :)


	7. Moonlit Talks

**A/N: **Hey! Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! Sorry for the delay in updating. I didn't get as much free time to write as I had originally hoped...

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_**Moonlit Talks**_

Aang awoke to sound of singing.

No… Not awoke. Technically, you have to first be asleep to be awoken by something. And Aang had done nothing of the sort since lying down on his make-shift pallet over two hours ago. Sokka's loud grumbling and awkward snoring made sure of that.

Not to mention the fact that he couldn't get a certain blue-eyed Waterbending Master's smile out of his head no matter how hard he tried. It hadn't taken long for him to resign to his daydreams and give up on falling asleep anytime soon…

But when his reveries were broken by the sound of singing in the next room, he had jolted from his thoughts and had somehow gotten lost in the beautiful melody. He knew, without truly knowing, that it was Katara's sweet voice that was moving through him. If it had been any other time, he'd have thought the singing to be eerie and out of place. But though he could hear no words, the sigh in her song was enough to make him smile, and he somehow found himself climbing from his pallet and tiptoeing down the hall towards it.

When the form of her body nestled into the pillows beside the fireplace came into view, he stopped, fingers clinging loosely to the wall for support. The small flames in the nearby hearth filled the room with a soft warm glow and the light flickering across her tanned face enhanced her already stunning features, bathing her in an angelic radiance. Her eyes were closely solemnly as she hummed her sweet lullaby softly. Her dark azure robe cascaded around her in an ocean of blue and her coffee colored hair was loose from its traditional braid, framing her face perfectly.

Aang couldn't help it when he uttered breathlessly, "Beautiful…"

Katara gasped lightly, her eyes fluttering open and her humming ceasing abruptly.

He found it didn't take more than a second for him to already miss her voice. "I'm sorry," he apologized quickly, fully aware of the butterflies that had somehow found their way into his stomach. "I didn't mean to disturb you. You're singing was just so beautiful and… I mean _you_ were so…" he trailed off unknowingly as she smiled at him, feeling his apprehension unfold beneath him.

"I'm sorry if I woke you," she said softly, rubbing at the sleep in her eyes.

"No, no…" Aang shook his head, his eyes adjusting to the dim light, "I was actually already awake." He rubbed at his bare chest, feeling the chill in the air as he diverted his attention around the room. "So… You couldn't sleep?"

Katara shook her head, moving her eyes to the window across the room. Snow and ice still swirled outside in the wind, "It's nearing the full moon. For some reason, it seems to affect me more than it used to."

Aang nodded thoughtfully, Katara's eyes meeting his briefly before she found something else in the dimly lit room to stare at. He shifted his bare feet uncomfortably, trying to decide his next move as Katara made no effort to break the sudden silence that had found its way into the room.

Just as he was about to excuse his intrusion and retreat back to his uncomfortable pallet in the adjoining room, he was startled at the sound of metal against stone as Katara stoked the fire, trying to bring life back to the smoldering coals.

"Do you need some help with that?" he offered as he crossed the room, his feet barely making a sound against the cold floorboards.

She looked up at him as he kneeled down beside her, "I guess I'm just trying to be stubborn and not go outside for more firewood."

He smiled at her affectionately, "No need to," he reasoned softly as he gently took the metal stoker from her hand. She returned his smile, feeling the spark in his touch as he turned his attention back to the smoldering ashes.

Taking a deep breath, he released his energy in a small fireball through his palm, engulfing the glowing embers and awakening the fire once more. The newly lit flames burned brightly and illuminated the room beautifully.

He turned back to her grinning, the light of the flames dancing in his eyes. She chuckled softly as she soothed her hair, pulling it in a bundle behind one of her shoulders, "I keep forgetting that you can do that now."

Aang shrugged, "It takes some getting used to."

She smiled, her eyes flickering back to the fire as Aang made himself busy poking at the firewood with the metal stoker.

Several quiet moments passed and Katara found herself thinking about their lunch earlier with Kya and Tantu. She had only been teasing playfully when she had embarrassed Aang by commenting on how muscular his Avatar training had made him… but as he kneeled beside her, donning only a pair of dark grey trousers, she realized that he had indeed gotten muscular in their six years apart.

His arms were strong and sturdy, and she found herself smiling when she thought about what they had felt like when he had hugged her earlier that day. His broad shoulders seemed to carry the weight of the world and the firelight beside him only served to highlight the well-built muscles in his chest and stomach.

She blushed when she realized she'd been staring and quickly diverted her attention to her hands, a quiet sigh of reassurance escaping her lips.

The sound of his voice startled her.

"It's kind of weird… huh?" he asked suddenly, setting the stoker against the hearth, his eyes flickering back to her.

She looked up from her lap, meeting his gaze and desperately hoping he hadn't caught her staring, "What do you mean?"

He chuckled as he sat down beside her, moving a few pillows around to make room. "It's just… We haven't seen each other in six years," he paused, meeting her gaze surely, "but I suddenly feel like it was just yesterday that we were dancing at Zuko's commencement ceremony."

Katara nodded, smiling reminiscently, "I know what you mean…"

Aang moved his eyes back to the fire, a sad smile setting in his jaw-line, "But when I think about everything that's happened in the past six years, it seems like ages ago."

Katara nodded again, this time in silence. It was true… it did seem like the past six years didn't exist when she looked into his storm grey eyes, as if they had never really been separated at all. But then, when she saw the age in his countenance and the maturity in his smile, she realized that in reality… the past six years had been perhaps the longest in her life.

Aang turned to her, interrupting her thoughts, "You've changed a lot Katara…" he said softly, a familiar boyhood gleam in his eyes,"But I'm glad that you're still you."

Katara chuckled lightly, nervously running her fingers through her hair again, "Who'd you think I'd be Aang?"

He grinned, stretching back over his elbows and crossing his legs as he looked up at her, "I don't know... I'm just glad you're still the Katara I remember."

Katara smiled at him, trying desperately to subdue the growing excitement fluttering to life in her chest. She said the only thing that came to mind, "I'm really glad that you were able to come, Aang. I know it means a lot to Sokka." She turned her attention to her hands, "It means a lot to me too."

Aang felt his heart flutter in his chest. "I'm really glad I came too," he said softly, his eyes moving towards hers.

Katara paused, meeting his gaze softly and smiling. The intense affection shining from his eyes suddenly made her nervous for some strange reason that she couldn't explain. She coughed, clearing her throat and diverting her eyes back to the fire with a friendly smile, "And thanks for offering to take Sokka to meet the Bei Fong's next week. I know he's really nervous about them coming here, and maybe having you and Appa there with him will help calm him down."

Aang chuckled a little, the tension in the room softening dramatically, "Sokka? On edge about something? Maybe he hasn't changed as much as I accuse him…"

Katara laughed lightheartedly, the firelight flickering in her eyes meeting the light in her smile, "No, he's really still Sokka, 'The meat and sarcasm guy'." She smiled lovingly as she mentioned her brother's name, "But it really is very thoughtful of you to take him…"

Aang waved his hand dismissively, "It's nothing. He'd do the same for me…" he paused, grinning, "Well… If he had a ten ton flying bison, that is…"

Katara chuckled lightly, feeling more and more at ease every second, "If you say so… So, what are your plans for tomorrow?"

Aang paused, tilting his head thoughtfully and turning his attention to the fire, "Well… I don't know. I haven't really thought about it." He turned back to her pensively, "Why do you ask?"

Katara shrugged, "I was thinking that maybe… I mean, if you're not busy… Maybe you could come to my class with me." Aang's eyes lit up excitedly as she continued, smiling teasingly, "It's not every day I can get the Avatar to come do a demonstration."

Aang grinned, rubbing his neck, "Sure, Katara, I'd love to come to your class with you tomorrow!"

"That'd be great, Aang," she replied enthusiastically, "I know the kids would enjoy it and I would really appreciate it."

"Of course Katara, anything for you…" he said softly.

Katara blushed slightly as Aang's eyes met hers, holding her gaze with a longing she couldn't ever remember seeing in his eyes before. Without meaning to, she broke eye contact suddenly as an intrusive yawn interrupted her thoughts.

Aang chuckled, diverting his attention to the window, "Looks like the moon's affect might be wearing off on you."

Katara nodded as she moved to stand up, tightening her robe around her waist in the process. "I guess I should attempt to get at least some sleep tonight," she said before yawning again. "If you want… you'd probably be more comfortable sleeping in here, and I know you'd get more peace and quite," she offered, throwing a soft glare at the hallway as Sokka grumbled something loudly in his sleep.

Aang nodded, chuckling, "Yeah. I guess you're right."

Katara grabbed a wool blanket from a nearby chest. "Thanks for um… everything," she smiled as he stood up beside her. "G'night Aang, I'll uh… I'll see you in the morning."

Aang returned her smile as he accepted the blanket, the brush of her fingers against his sending a jolt of energy down his spine "G'night Katara."

* * *

The late night storm that had raged through the Southern Water Tribe had left a peaceful blanket of pristine white snow in its wake and it glittered serenely in the morning sun as Katara and Aang made their way across town towards the Academy. The small market was already bustling with shoppers and traders as the merchants loaded their shops with fish and goods. The sky was clear and blue, stretching seamlessly from horizon to horizon as the village greeted the dawning of a new day. 

The walk to the Academy was short and mostly silent as Aang smiled excitedly, suddenly feeling like a schoolboy on the first day of classes. "So how many kids are in your class today?"

Katara jumped, her thoughts interrupted, "Oh… Well, the morning advanced class has six and my afternoon beginners class has ten."

"Advanced class?" Aang asked thoughtfully, "So we'll be blessed with Kya and Tantu's presence again this morning I presume?"

Katara laughed lightly as they entered the large building that housed the offices and classrooms of the Academy, "Yes. As a matter of fact we will."

Aang followed Katara down the wide main hallway with wide eyes, taking in every aspect of the tribal designs and decorative heritage weaved into the ancient artifacts that filled the display cases on either side of the hallway. Katara made a sharp left and entered a small office that, in one word, was… dull.

A small wooden desk was pushed up against the far wall, littered with bending scrolls and beside it sat an equally small set of shelves with only a few water canteens and what looked like a whistle on it. "Is this… _your_ office?" Aang asked doubtfully, scanning the bare walls and lifeless aspect of the small space.

Katara smiled shyly, collecting some of the scrolls hastily and setting them on the shelves gently, "Well… it's a… uh, work in progress," she explained, brushing a loose strand of hair out of her eyes. "I've only had it a few weeks and I haven't really had anytime to make it my own yet."

Aang nodded understandingly, taking note of the large vase in the corner that he presumed was meant to hold an arrangement of moon lillies in the window that sat over the shelves. Katara quickly wrapped the whistle around her neck and grabbed a few scrolls off the desk. "Are you ready for your first day?" she asked suddenly, smiling brightly.

Aang grinned, bowing respectively, "Ready when you are Sifu Katara!"

* * *

**A/N: **So, I know it's a little short... Like I said, I didn't get a whole lot of free time to write... Hope you enjoyed it none-the-less:) 


	8. Avatar Demonstrations

**A/N: **Well… for those 353 of you who have already read this chapter since I first posted it three days ago… I decided to do some pretty big revisions to the battle scene. After a very helpful review from ScorpioRed112 (much thanks), I realized why it was that I was so dissatisfied with this chapter! So I've "uped the anty" a little on this one and added some more meat to the fight scene. I've also added a little bulk in other parts of the chapter where I just thought that it needed something more, but rest assured that the story line has not changed in any form or fashion. :)

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**Avatar Demonstrations**

Fourteen.

That's the number of Water-tribe ocean-colored eyes that were currently situated on him in eager anticipation. He smiled, scanning the training grounds with a skilled eye and feeling a warm sensation in his chest when he spotted the area where Katara had fainted the previous day. He sighed, straightening his posture and feeling himself naturally transform into what Zuko had jokingly dubbed his _Lord Avatar Role_. It was a role he had adopted after attending countless political affairs and celebrations. His shoulders heightened and his chin set as one such pair of eyes turned their attention to the group…

"Class, as I'm sure you've already noticed…" Katara began in natural teacher fashion, six mouths shutting abruptly and all incoherent whispering ceasing, "We have a very special guest with us today. We are very lucky to have him here and I want you all to give a warm welcome to Avatar Aang."

The whispering started again, Kya and Tantu seemingly in the middle of it all. Aang suppressed a grin as a few words stumbled to his ears… "Avatar"… "Training"… "Wedding"…

The majority of the class consisted of students between the ages of thirteen and sixteen expect, of course, for Kya and Tantu, whom Aang had learned earlier to both be eleven. It seemed their Waterbending prowess had surpassed that of the children their age, and they had rightfully been advanced to study with the older kids only a few weeks ago. As he approached the front of the class, he noticed a group of three older girls huddled together, giggling and blushing. One even went as far as winking and blowing a kiss at him.

Aang cleared his throat and diverted his attention from the girl as he spoke to the class, the whispers again dying off abruptly. "Thank you Master Katara," he addressed formally, feeling fully submerged in the _Lord Avatar Role_, despite the girls' best winks and blushes.

Katara smiled with a certain glint of surprise, seemingly startled with his sudden change in posture as he continued, "I have come to your class today on behalf of your instructor, Master Katara, to do a short demonstration…"

"Not the marble thing again!" Tantu groaned, pouting his lower lip out and kicking at the snow with his mukluks.

Katara sent a disproving frown at the young boy and Aang smiled light-heartedly. "No Tantu… I promise I won't do the marble trick again." Tantu sighed as the winking girl perked up.

"I wouldn't mind seeing your marble trick!"

Aang chuckled nervously before continuing, "Well thanks. But, actually… I want to start out with the training that I know you've been learning for the past few weeks. Would anyone like to volunteer to show me a move that they've learned this week?"

The winking girl didn't miss a beat. "I will!"

Aang's eyes widened, looking to Katara helplessly and missing the entertained grin slowly making its way across her face. "Uh, ok…" he started as the girl squealed excitedly and made her way to the front of the class to stand beside him. "And what's your name?" he asked, slowly resituating into his _Lord Avatar Role_.

"Rio," she replied eagerly.

"Ok Rio, why don't you show us something that you've learned recently?"

Rio beamed at him, staring longer than he felt comfortable with before she addressed the class. "This is what Master Katara went over with us yesterday and I've been working on it all night." She lifted her arms out in front of her steadily, drew a deep breath, and in one smooth movement, twirled around and glided her arms around her body to shoot a wall of ice up from the snow.

Aang nodded approvingly, "That's great Rio. That's a fantastic defensive maneuver, but how can you use that against an opponent?"

Rio pondered the question with a thoughtful expression before shrugging her shoulders.

Aang smiled at her briefly before fixing his eyes on the wall of ice and drawing his arms in large sweeping motions in front of him. In fluid movements, long thin sheets of sharp ice flew from the wall and crashed against the cliff face behind it, tiny shards of crystal ice showering to the snow from the impact.

Rio's eyes lit up and the class gasped excitedly, clapping enthusiastically. "Wow Avatar Aang," she exclaimed with extra emphasis on "Avatar"… and "Aang"… and "wow". She clasped her hands in front of her and batted her eyelashes flirtatiously, "That was amazing…"

Aang laughed rather nervously as he, again, sent a desperate uneasy look towards Katara.

Katara clamped a hand over her mouth to keep her laughter to herself. _"The Avatar… defender of the world… afraid of a fangirl of all things…" _she thought as Aang shifted his eyes uncomfortably.

He cleared his throat and quickly diverted his attention back to the class as Rio winked at him again, "Does anyone else have something they want to show?"

He was relieved when Tantu raised his hand eagerly, "I do!"

The next half hour went by quickly as each student showed off a move that they had perfected and Aang showed them how to advance their move to the next step. At the end of thirty minutes he had earned their respect, trust, and admiration easily. He'd also earned special attention from Rio and her two friends, which only served to entertain Katara even more with each eyelash batted and each kiss blown.

She could remember a time when any attention Aang got from other girls would cause her insides to twist as she shrugged off any snide comments from her brother. One such moment from the night of Aang's dance party still stood vividly in her mind.

But now, for some reason she didn't understand, she found a corrupt pleasure in his uneasiness as the girls giggled, hanging on his every word and touching his arms at every chance they got. It seemed that he almost deserved his discomfort as he made awkward small talk with the three girls. However, his several helpless 'save me' glances did not go unnoticed, and after she thought he had had enough torture she decided it was time to bring the class to an end.

But before she could speak up, Tantu interrupted her, his wirery prepubescent voice reaching her ears above all others. "Hey Avatar! I bet Master Katara could probably beat you in a duel!"

"Tantu, I don't think the Avatar is concerned about beating me in a duel anytime soon," Katara interjected nonchalantly.

Aang laughed as he stepped around Rio's group and walked over to where Katara and Tantu were standing, three very dejected frowns following his path. "I don't doubt that for a second Tantu, but your Sifu is way above childish duels with the Avatar." Aang grinned smugly at Katara, a familiar playful tease dancing in his eyes.

Katara crossed her arms across her chest good-naturedly. "And just what is that supposed to mean?" she asked, eyebrows raised.

Aang threw his hands up defensively, "Nothing… I'm just saying. Even if you did want to, you have much more important things to do…"

Katara huffed, smiling through her challenge, "Well, Avatar… I never said that I didn't want to." She grinned mischievously as she took her place beside him in front of the class, "It would do my students some good to see some real bending. I'm up for it if you are! Unless of course… you're scared…" she raised her eyebrows at him again letting him know that she was mostly teasing. _Mostly_…

Several "ooo's" came from the students as Aang matched her expression, accepting her challenge, "Well, in that case," he turned back to the class as the students gathered around them, "I suggest you all take notes."

Katara rolled her eyes lightheartedly as she lowered into a fighting stance, drawing a weave of water from the canteen at her hip. Aang grinned as he matched her stance, "And just to be fair, I'll only use Waterbending."

Katara chuckled, bending the water around her arms, "I'm not sure I'd call that fair, but it's your call."

Aang narrowed his eyes at her slyly, "Are you ready?"

Katara answered with a well-timed water whip. Aang dodged the attack, though not in typical nimble-Aang-fashion without his signature Airbending. He smirked at her after steadying his feet. "I guess that's a yes," he said as he quickly used his bending to send several ice daggers hurling towards Katara.

Katara used the move Rio had demonstrated earlier to send a wall of ice in the daggers' path. Several "oo's" and "ah's" rose from the students as they watched their lessons being used in a "real battle".

Aang found it most enjoyable when Katara then used his earlier advice to launch a few blades of ice at him. He couldn't help but grin as he easily dodged the projectiles. "Could it be that I've taught my old Sifu something new today?"

Katara laughed with a friendly smile. "Don't kid yourself," she replied as she drew a wall of water from the snow and hurled it at Aang. "That was originally my lesson for today. It seems that we have similar battle strategies after all!"

Aang grinned, parting the water and allowing it to crash down on either side of him, "You know what they say," he replied as he diverted the flow of water back at her, "Great minds think alike!"

For some reason she couldn't explain, Katara could feel her nerves pinching in her fingertips and her heart rate increasing prematurely as she froze the water in an arch of ice in front of her. She suddenly felt very annoyed by the smugly satisfied glint in Aang's eyes as he stared back at her, awaiting her retaliation.

Katara drew a deep breath, feeling her competitive nature taking a tone in her stance.

She ran up the arch of ice and slid down the tail end while simultaneously trying to freeze the snow under Aang's feet.

She managed to get one foot frozen to the snow before he realized what she was doing and caused the arch of ice to melt to water, sending Katara sprawling towards the snow. She regained her balance and landed on her feet easily.

Out of habit, Aang began warming up his hands to melt the ice boot attaching him to ground before Katara interjected.

"Uh uh uh! Remember… no Firebending!" she yelled teasingly.

Aang smiled in typical Aang-fashion, "Oh yeah… Oops!"

"We wouldn't want this fight to be unfair, now would we?" Katara smirked as she drew a rush of water from the snow around her and began launching it towards Aang.

He diverted the flow of water around his shoulders easily and sent it back towards Katara. It apparently caught her off-guard, because she barely had time to send the wave crashing to the snow before it crashed into her.

"Careful Sifu Katara!" he joked mockingly.

Katara's eyes turned to silver and blue slits as she shoved a few loose strands of hair behind her ears. With each attack, her anger seemed to grow, filling her mind with sudden thoughts of betrayal, loneliness, and the unmistakable feeling of being left behind. It was unnerving how calm the Avatar remained with each exchange, as if Aang hadn't noticed the six years of solitude he had shoved upon her unwillingly that night he broke his promise to her… How dare he break his promise to her…

As Aang busied himself with unfreezing the ice boot still holding him to the ground, Katara answered back with a set of water whips, suddenly feeling very set on wiping that uncharacteristically proud smirk off the Avatar's face. "I didn't know that you had spent so much time perfecting your Waterbending, Avatar," she replied with more edge apparent in her voice than she realized. "I guess you must have left that part out of your letters!"

Aang threw up his forearm to stop one of the water whips, while allowing the other one to wrap up his other arm, "I've just been working on a few moves, that's all," he answered as he pulled the whip from her grasp as the last bit of ice from the boot melded with the snow.

Katara felt a growl emitting from the back of her throat as she redirected the other whip out of Aang's grip, "Well, I guess a lot has happened in the past six years, huh?"

Aang shrugged. "I guess I've just learned a lot in the past few years Katara," he said with a confused expression setting in his brow and jaw-line, sending unnoticed nervous glances at the Master Sifu. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Well, maybe I would have known that if you'd have visited once or twice," Katara answered back as she came at him again with the water whip, her voice rising with each syllable. "But I guess the Avatar has much more important things to do than visit his peasant friends in the Southern Water Tribe village, huh?"

A look of realization crossed over Aang's features before he dodged her whip, though not effectively… as it slashed through the fabric of his parka, leaving a long hole of splintered fibers in its wake.

He groaned as he ran his fingers along the edge of the slit. "Katara, you know that's not true!" he answered as Katara assembled a spinning vortex of water to encircle them, separating them from the on-looking throng of students. "I never meant to hurt you!"

She drew her face into a frown, her brow creased in strong emotion, as the wall of water continued to spin around them. "It's fine! I'm fine! We're all fine!" she answered forcefully and rather hysterically.

Aang was speechless as the water around them began spinning violently. He drew a deep breath and froze the vortex so that it created a large ice dome over the two of them. The unshed tears in Katara's eyes didn't go unnoticed as he approached her, holding his hands out in front of him so that she knew he meant no harm. "Katara, I'm sorry… I didn't mean to leave you!"

Katara melted the ice dome around them, holding a long stream of water in her hand, ready for another water whip if needed. "I said I'm fine Aang…" she said bitterly, trying to hide the shaky uneasiness in her voice behind a façade of competitive anger. "You did what you had to…"

"But Katara…" Aang started, unsure of what he was going to say. He trailed off blankly as she drew a deep breath and unleashed her whip on him.

Aang retaliated with one of his own, intending to use his as a shield from her attack. "Katara… I…." he tried to finish his sentence with something suave and thoughtful that would let her know how hard it had been to stay away from her for so long, but his mind went blank as his whip connected with her stomach and sent her sprawling to the ground.

The students, and Aang, and Katara stared with blank expressions. It seemed that Master Katara, perhaps the strongest Bender in the Southern Village, had finally been defeated. She didn't know if it had been her unexpected emotional upset or the sudden whispers from the students that had distracted her, but she didn't anticipate the reciprocal attack that ended with her on her back in the snow. She grunted in frustration as she pounded a frustrated fist into the ground.

Aang was at her side in seconds as the students gasped in unison, "Katara, I'm so sorry! Are you alright?"

Katara sighed, exhaling a forced breath and tucking a few loose strands of hair behind her ears. "I'm fine," she repeated for a third time, fully aware of the vehement quality in her tone.

Aang opened his mouth to apologize again, but Katara turned to address her students before he could say anything, "Class is dismissed!" She ignored the groaning and moaning from her pupils, as well as Aang's outstretched hand to help her up. "Work on your ice walls for tomorrow's check off!" she said to the pouting class as they dispersed back up the hill towards the main building.

"Katara, I…"

"Aang, I have some parents I have to meet with during my lunch break," she lied as she got to her feet, brushing the snow from her parka and refilling the canteen on her hip as she suddenly couldn't wait to be alone. The tears in the corners of her eyes were dangerously close to being on her cheeks. "I'll meet you back here for the beginners' class in about an hour."

Aang watched helplessly as she turned and walked back towards the main building, never meeting his gaze. ""Katara, wait!" Aang called after her to no avail as she disappeared over the hill. He ran up to the top of the rift, watching her stomp through the snow in the direction of the main building. "I'm sorry…" he murmured to himself, "I just wish I could make you understand…"

* * *

**A/N: **RedScorpio112 also pointed out my overlooking of the fact that "Rio" is actually Spanish for "river". (My apologies to my readers for not foreseeing the cultural confusion, obvsiouly the Water Tribe is in no stretch of the imagination of Hispanic or Spanish origin). And yes, I am culturally competent and I do know enough Spanish to know that "Rio" is "river", but it just simply didn't dawn on my when I thought up the name for her. The only reason I didn't change her name when I revised the chap, was for those select few who decide to not reread this chapter. I don't know if I will use Rio again in a future chapter… but just in case, I didn't want to confuse anyone with a different name for her!

In conclusion! (gosh.. this is a long A/N!) …in order for those of you who already reviewed this chap to review again, I decided to reactivate the Private Message capabilities on my account. So, if you wish to leave another review for this chap… please see my profile and PM me! As always, I promise to answer back!


	9. Troubling Times

**A/N: **OK, so as I told some of you in my review replies, I was really dissatisfied with that last chapter and I wanted to make it up somehow… SO! I've reposted it with a more beefed up fight scene and other small additions. I have, in no way, changed the flow of the storyline… but I do think that the chapter has much more presence and purpose now with the new and improved battle. So please…. **REREAD THE LAST REVISED CHAPTER** and let me know if you think it's better or worse or whatev… Thank you!!

* * *

**Troubling Times**

Katara slammed her office door behind her, wiping furiously at her watery eyes. She sighed heavily as she sank into the small chair, burying her head in her arms across the surface of her desk as she trying to calm her racing heart. The aching beat rattled raggedly in her chest with each breath, the air feeling cold and harsh as it entered her lungs.

Who was he to show up unannounced? Who was he to promise her a visit that was six years, three months, and twenty one days past due? Who was he to kiss her so softly all those years ago under a full moon, only to leave her behind to continue his adventures without her only three weeks later? Who was he?

Oh… Right…

He was the Avatar… that's who. The Savior of nations, Hero of the world, Conqueror of Ozai and Assembler of all people. He had a duty… a destiny to fulfill. One that was a hundred years overdue at that… Thousands of lives rested in those wonderful tattooed hands of his and he balanced the weight of the Four Nations vicariously on his broad muscular shoulders.

And just _who_ was she? Who was she to expect him to leave behind his duty and runaway with her? Who was she to demand his deliverance of a promise they both knew he couldn't keep? Who was she to be so selfish?

Just who was she?

A Water Tribe peasant… that's who. A simple girl who had happened to run across a boy who had showed her the world. Without Aang, she'd have never been able to learn Waterbending, she'd have never left her small village, and the world would still be in turmoil. The year she and Sokka had spent with Aang on the back of his flying bison had been, so far, the peek of her existence. How depressing a realization, to reach one's pinnacle at the tender age of fourteen…

Katara groaned miserably, how had she let herself get so emotionally upset over something that was so incredibly out of her hands? She couldn't help the tears that were slipping past her feeble attempts of stoicism. With a huff of frustration, she let her hands fall against the wall in front of her desk, her head still bent over in her forearms.

She paused and looked up when she felt a scroll roll off the shelves beside her and clatter to the floor. Looking down at it disinterestedly, she stopped herself before kicking it under her desk to get it out of site. Her delicate handwriting was sprawled across the parchment, and a sudden realization hit her when she reached down to pick it up.

She swallowed hard against the lump in her throat as she fingered the worn edges of the one letter she had written but never sent…

_Aang,_

_It's great that you've finally found where Azula and the Dei Lei are hiding out. Best of luck as you pursue her. I wish that I could be there with you. Please be careful. I, however, do not have good news to relay you from the Southern Water Tribe this time. _

_Gran Gran is dying. Every healer in the village is doing the best they can, including me, but at this point all we can do is keep her comfortable. She gets weaker every day, and her chi is diminishing with each breath. I don't know how much longer she can hold on. Sokka is with Toph in Gaoling and I've already sent word to him, though the next ferry back isn't for three days. As you already know, Dad and his crew left last week to meet you and your men as you take down Azula. I expect he'll probably find out after it's too late. _

_Aang, I'm so alone. I've never felt this helpless before. I've tried every thing I can think of to save Gran Gran, but she just gets worse and worse. I can't believe I'm even going to ask this, but if there's anyway you could be here with me while she passes… I can't even begin to believe that I'm asking this of you. I know that you've got so many things going on right now, especially since finding Azula. But can't your men take care of this one thing? Can't they handle it without you? You know that I would never ask this of you if I didn't have any other choice. Please come to be with me, Aang. Please. I just need a friend. I need you. _

_Your friend,_

_Katara_

She had been crying when she wrote it. Not that she could remember that now, it had been three years ago and it all seemed so much like a blur. But some of the words were smeared with dried salty tears and the edges were crinkled badly as she had argued to herself relentlessly not to send the letter.

It had been a hard decision to rewrite the letter, telling Aang to take care in his battle with the banished Princess and send word as soon as he was safe. She could no longer fight the unshed tears any longer, and they spilt freely through thick wet lashes, falling to the parchment and blending with her heartfelt words.

It had been one of the hardest days in her life… Watching her grandmother die… She couldn't remember a time in her life that she had ever felt more incredibly alone and lost.

_Katara sighed, fighting unshed tears as she moved her healing hands across her grandmother's forehead. It seemed today Gran Gran had been especially weak, and her chi was dissipating rapidly before Katara's very hands. "Don't worry Gran Gran, I'm here," she reassured as a quiet moan escaped the old woman's cracked lips. _

"_Katara, you need rest," she argued softly, her voice weak and emaciated. _

"_Sh," Katara hushed her gently. "Don't be ridiculous. I'm not leaving your side." She felt her heart warm as Gran Gran smiled meekly. _

"_You are so much like your mother," she whispered hoarsely before coughing violently and closing her eyes solemnly. Just the act of coughing tired her greatly and made it difficult to breath. Her lungs struggled to sustain her breathing, and at times her chest barely seemed to move at all. Now and then, she would stop breathing all together, only to gasp for air several seconds later as if she were determined to hold on as long as she could. Her normally dark leathery skin was pale and ashy in her illness, and her lush full hair had become thin and brittle._

"_Gran Gran?" Katara questioned, a slight panic evident in her voice after several seconds. _

_At the sound of her granddaughter's voice, the old woman opened her pale grey eyes. Over the course of her illness, they had completely lost their beautiful ocean blue Water Tribe vigor, but they still held the same light they always had. Though, Katara could easily tell that the light was fading with each passing day. _

"_Katara," Gran Gran began, her voice cracking and frail, "I am so very proud of you... You and Sokka both... I want you to tell him that." _

"_You can tell him yourself, Gran Gran," Katara pleaded. "He should be home tomorrow." _

_The old woman coughed faintly and shook her head, "Katara, please… Just listen…" she paused to catch her breath and continued after a few minutes, the pain evident in her eyes. "I know… that you will marry… a great man one day..."she whispered hoarsely between gasps. _

"_You've become… such a strong… beautiful woman… That boy… He'll be good… to you…" she said as she closed her eyes again, exhausted._

"_Who, Gran Gran?" Katara asked through the tears that were now falling freely down her cheeks and running into her hairline as she smeared them across her face. "Who will be good to me?" _

_Gran Gran opened her eyes again, a dull lifeless glaze edging into her irises, "Katara… I love you…" She smiled weakly, and for one split second she looked like the grandmother that Katara grew up with, despite her frail appearance. _

"_I love you too Gran Gran," Katara replied hastily as the light left her grandmother's eyes completely… _

"I miss you Gran Gran," Katara murmured as she crumpled the letter in between her hands. "I wish you and Mom were here to help me know what to do…" she sighed as she threw the ball of paper into the trashcan under her desk.

* * *

The rest of the day went by pretty uneventfully. Aang had tried to apologize on more than one occasion, and Katara had insisted through a sad frown that she was "fine". Though, the dull aspect in her words and downcast gaze of her eyes remained rather unconvincing of her argument. The beginner's class went by quickly as Aang demonstrated, on his own, several basic maneuvers… all the while silently contemplating how he would get Katara to forgive him. Or at least tell him why she was upset. 

Dinner that night was torture for the young Avatar. With each intentional aversion of Katara's eyes her frown deepened and Aang's heart sunk further into the pit of his stomach. They're sullen expressions and lack of conversation did not go unnoticed by Sokka and Toph, and when Aang got up after dinner to announce he was going to go feed Appa, Sokka jumped at the chance to go with him to find out what was going on with the two friends.

The first few minutes passed in silence as Aang trudged through the snow beside him, his eyes fixated on the ground in front of him in deep thought. Sokka grumbled, shoving his hands in his pockets and trying to think up a way to start a conversation.

"So… how'd the uh… bending lessons go today?" he asked nonchalantly.

He was surprised when Aang only answered with a distant sigh as they neared Appa's earth tent.

Sokka cleared his throat, "Aang? Hello? Earth to Aang!"

Aang jumped when he realized Sokka was talking to him, "Huh? Oh… Sorry Sokka. Guess I was daydreaming."

Sokka chuckled shortly as Aang pulled down the front wall of the tent and sat down in the hay to feed Appa a few heads of cabbage. "I was just asking you how the bending lessons went today at the Academy. I know Katara's got some pretty crazy kids in those classes of hers."

Aang nodded his head solemnly, patting Appa affectionately on his snout as Momo landed on his shoulder, "It went…. Okay…"

Appa grunted loudly in protest and Sokka raised his eyebrows, unconvinced, as he leaned against the stone wall and crossed his arms across his chest disapprovingly. "Aang, that's about as truthful as me saying I don't like meat."

Aang met Sokka's eyes hesitantly, then sighed and resigned. "It… uh… well, let's just say it didn't go well."

Sokka nodded understandingly as Aang continued, "I don't know what I did. We were demonstrating a duel in front of the morning class and things sort of got out of hand. I think…" Aang shook his head and corrected himself, "No, I _know_ she's mad at me about something. I just don't know what…" he sighed again as Momo chirped happily upon receiving a handful of litchi nuts. "You're welcome Momo…"

"Hm…" Sokka pulled at his goatee absentmindedly as he pondered the Avatar's predicament. Suddenly his face softened as he took a seat in the hay beside his Airbending friend.

"Aang… Katara's been through a lot in the past six years. Your absence has been harder on her than she lets on. She's had to do a lot on her own, and though she'd never admit it… none of it has been easy." Sokka put a reassuring hand on Aang's shoulder. "She's probably just processing everything."

"I know…" Aang replied his eyes falling to his lap, "It hasn't exactly been easy for me either." He laughed a little, lightening the mood dramatically, "Trust me, I'd have much rather been here hanging out with you guys than working on restoring peace to the world."

Sokka smiled, squeezing the Avatar's shoulder before letting his hand fall back to his side, "Well, you know the saying… Work before play…"

Aang sucked in a deep breath and nodded, grateful for the brotherly comradery he had missed so much from his older friend. "So what do I do now?"

"Good question," Sokka answered as he stood up, brushing the loose hay from his parka. "Well, when Toph is mad at me… it's usually because I've done something really stupid." Aang chuckled as Sokka pulled him to his feet. "Then I just apologize and kiss her or something to show her that I still care about her."

Aang cleared his throat nervously, "Well, I can't exactly _kiss_ Katara…"

Sokka shook his head eagerly, "No… No you certainly can't…"

"But…" Aang's mind flashed back to the empty disheveled office that Katara had shown him that morning as a thought suddenly occurred to him, "I do know what I _can_ do…"

* * *

Katara slipped out of her room that morning very quietly before anyone else was up. She somehow managed to not wake the sleeping Avatar in the living room as she made her way out the front door. Rubbing at the sleep in her eyes and disapproving of her pitiful night's rest the previous two nights she started towards the Academy. 

The first night of Aang's return, she had been so excited with his presence in the next room it had been near impossible to fall asleep. However, it was for a completely different reason that she had only gotten a few hours of fitful sleep the previous night. Last night, her mind had not let her slumber as it constantly replayed the past six years in a continuous and sometimes painful loop. She'd cleaned up hastily after dinner and gotten in bed before Aang and Sokka returned from feeding Appa. Truthfully, she was rather surprised that neither of them had tried to talk to her or check on her.

_Not that it matters, _She thought to herself miserably as she pushed open the double doors to the Academy, noting airily the empty hallways and offices. She felt herself smiling at the simple beauty in the architecture of the building she had helped resurrect. The early morning sun's rays showered through the skylights above her and illuminated the school in a warm light, shining off the ice pristinely. She'd left her house extra early to avoid an awkward morning with Aang, and it had consequently gotten her to work a full hour before her first class.

A frown was still evident on her face as she entered her small cramped office, her eyes skimming the papers littering her desk and the crinkled letter lying in the trashcan underneath it. She sat down in her chair and was busy straightening scrolls and parchments, when a very familiar scent suddenly caught her attention.

She immediately stopped what she was doing and looked up to a beautiful vase of moonlillies and another type of flower she didn't recognize that was sitting on the window sill beside her desk. She gasped, drawing a hand to her mouth as she fingered the soft white and blue petals of the unknown species. How had she not noticed them before, she had no idea… But the full bouquet was breathtaking and beside it sat a note with very neat recognizable handwriting scribbled across it. She smiled, despite herself, as she read…

_Katara,_

_When I first saw these flowers I thought they matched the blue of your eyes. I'm sorry about yesterday and I hope you have a better day today._

_Aang_

* * *

**A/N: **Yay! Sappiness! Lol. I know this chapter is way emotional and I'm sorry if Katara seems a little OOC and too emo towards the end. But everyone looses faith in something at some point in their life, and she's no exception. :) 

Be forewarned, I probably won't post again until after my last final, which is next Monday the tenth… hope this tides you over for a while!


	10. Tui and La

**A/N: **Ok Ok… So I am fully aware that I told everyone it wouldn't be until next week… but here's the next chapter! Surprise surprise! (Even to me… haha) Studying for finals was really boring, so I wrote during my study breaks!

* * *

**Tui and La**

With each passing night, the moon fills the night sky a little more until it hangs fully like a giant white saucer, casting the plains in a pale somber glow. Pushing… Pulling… The tides obey its every command and dance to its lovely circadian rhythm.

It's during these times that Katara feels everything around her. The air, the ground, the snow, the smells, the tastes, the sounds… Her skin tingles in the beauty of the full moon's power and it's all she can do to contain her most primal instincts to bend. She can feel the call of the water, hear its plea, and it's a most beautiful calling that she doesn't dare resist.

That is why she had crept out of bed over an hour ago to answer the raging call of the water, numb to the cold chill of the winter air around her. Stripped to her under-wrappings, her hair a full mess around her and her dark tribal skin glistening with beads of water in the moon's enchanting light, she moved the water around her with merely a passing thought. The moon guided her every move as she pulled its energy into her bending. As she danced to the lunar cadence, her thoughts and concerns melded with the water and dissipated around her…

But, with the moon's influence on her bending also comes its effect on her emotions…

Four moons had passed through the violet blue sky of the Southern Water Tribe since her and Aang's fight. Four moons had signaled the four days of awkward small talk, diverted gazes, and her own feeble attempts of contentment. Her veneer of halfhearted smiles and downcast glances did little to convince the Avatar that she was "fine" as she had put it, but his attempts to break her façade and talk about the situation were only met with sudden cheeriness and excuses to promptly end the conversation.

Her heart wrenched with dejection for a promise not fulfilled, resentment for a friend not forgotten, and guilt for a sentiment not expressed. But she wore a fake smile and blamed her emotional expense on the full moon that was now hanging quite forebodingly in the sky above her.

Tomorrow, the lunar cycle would restart and her emotions would be at their trough. Tomorrow, she would feel normal again. Tomorrow, Aang and Sokka would leave to meet the Bei Fong's and she would get some time to sort out her feelings. Tomorrow couldn't come soon enough…

* * *

Aang awoke to the calling of the moon. Since fully mastering Waterbending three years previously, he'd felt the primal urges more and more with each passing lunar cycle. Tonight, they seemed especially strong as he tossed over in his bedding, wholly noting the absence of the dull fire glow from the fireplace. He shivered in the cool night air as he sent a ball of flames from his palm to resurrect the dying embers.

He groaned when the fireball was met with no firewood left to burn.

Rising to his feet, he grabbed his parka from a nearby chair and slipped it over his head, covering his bare chest and arms in its furry warmth. "I'm just going to get firewood… That's all," he reassured himself as he felt another astral tug at his chi. "No bending, just wood."

He slipped out the door with nary a sound and started promptly towards the wood pile at the edge of the snow bank behind the house. The moon hung like a beacon above him and he cleared his throat loudly as he continued struggling against its will. When he reached the woodpile, he immediately began filling his arms with several logs before turning back towards the house.

He grinned as he reached the front door. "See there moon?" he murmured under his breath, "You don't have as much sway over me as you thought."

Just then the splashing of water sounded from the opposite side of the house. He halted right before reaching for the door covering, peering into the edge of the woods that lined the other side of the house. The moon's white light speckled through the tall fur trees, illuminating the forest floor in dapples of silver glow. Aang cocked his head to the side in thought, tuning his ears to listen for another splash from the woodsy border.

"Huh… must be hearing things…" he reasoned as he rubbed at one of his ears. "I could've sworn I heard…"

He turned towards the house again, but his mouth dropped open at the sound of water again. "What?" he mumbled as he placed the firewood in a pile at the front door. "Is that…?" he didn't finish his thought as he started taking slow cautious steps towards the woods.

He threw an uneasy wary glance at the moon above him before slipping through the first few fur trees. Under the shade of the giant conifers, he peered into the darkness, taking careful steps towards where he thought the sound had originated from, a flame dancing lightly in his outstretched palm.

* * *

It was the sound of rustling leaves behind her that caused Katara to pause momentarily, a long stream of water dancing vicariously in between her palms. The break in movement lasted only a split second before the strong scent of breezy spice and sweet sandalwood reached her. _Aang… _she thought as she resumed her movements, the water swirling in long tendrils around her once more. The sound of his light steps on the forest floor made her suddenly realize how he had gotten the nickname "Twinkle Toes", as she could feel him approaching her. She knew that soon he would break into the clearing where her small stream was and find her waist deep in the cool water with sweat on her brow and frost on her skin.

The sudden thought to leave struck her, but the moon's undying pull stayed her feet in the water. She knew there was no sense in resisting the lunar calling. The urge to bend outweighed her will to run, so she continued to move about her element as she heard him, smelled him, and felt him enter the clearing…

She closed her eyes as she visualized his every movement behind her, her senses heightened to his smell and sound.

He paused, his feet making soft crinkles in the pine needles and snow. She could hear a small burst of air enter his lungs as he gasped, though she wasn't sure why he was so surprised to see her. Didn't he know what the full moon did to Waterbenders?

"Katara?"

His voice was smooth and deep, the upward inflection of her name sending chills down her spine. Her heart skipped a beat at the quality of his tone, and she bit her lip to keep from whimpering.

When she didn't answer, he moved a few steps toward her. She could hear him shaking. Was he nervous?

"Katara what are you doing out here? You'll freeze!" he said as he approached her, she heard the rustle of clothing and could only assume that he had pulled off his parka to make her wear it.

She swallowed the hesitancy in her voice and answered, "Aang, I'm fine. I just wanted to come out and do some bending." She glanced up at the moon as she spoke, feeling it pushing her to something… though she didn't really understand what.

"Here, put this on…" he answered softly as she finally turned around to face him, several feet separating her from the bank of the stream where he was standing. "I don't want you to get sick a week before your brother's wedding."

Katara again suppressed a stagger in her stance as her eyes met with Aang's shirtless physique. The moon bathed his pale skin in a cool glimmer and his bright blue tattoos seemed to glow in response. The light from above cast shadows across his face, enhancing the lines in his cheeks and jaw. "Aang… I'm f-fine," she stammered.

"You're shivering Katara. I can see it from here."

Katara glanced back to the water as the stream she had been bending melded with the surface, "I just want to stay a little longer. It's… the moon." She turned her attention to the sky, Aang doing the same; she couldn't help but notice how silvery grey his eyes looked in its light. "I just… I can't leave yet. I can't really explain it but…"

"It won't let you…" Aang finished for her as their met eyes. "The moon, I mean… it won't let you leave." He smiled warmly as he dropped his parka at his feet at the bank of the stream, "I know. I feel it too."

Katara smiled genuinely at him for the first time in four days. Aang felt his heart flutter warmly in his chest at the light that had finally found its way back into her eyes, "Do you mind if I join you?" as asked, though he seemed to already know the answer as he began pulling off his shoes.

"Of course not," she answered, somewhat surprised by her sincerity. After four days of avoiding him, she suddenly felt how much she had missed his presence. "It's a little chilly at first, but you get used to it…" she giggled softly when she noticed the tiny chill bumps that had budded all over Aang's body as he stepped into the water.

"Chilly… right…" Aang shivered involuntarily as he entered the water, the surface edging just below his hip bones. "I can fix that…" he grinned widely as he slowly bent heat into the water around them.

Katara laughed lightly as the water around them warmed, "Aang! That's amazing!" She lowered into the warmth of the water so that only her head was above the surface as steam began billowing around them lightly.

Aang lowered into the water as well, feeling the chill loosen from his muscles and the shivers die from his skin, "Better?"

She smiled and nodded softly, "Better…"

Their eyes met briefly before Katara diverted her gaze to the surface of the water in between them, the reflection of the moon above them drifting along the ripples of steam and water. The movement of the white moon along the dark water was entrancing, almost hypnotizing as she suddenly felt a pull towards it…

Aang must have felt the trance as well, because he suddenly cleared his throat and rose out of the water, "So where you working on any particular move or just anything?"

Katara shook her head of her thoughts and stood up as well. The cool breeze suddenly felt harsh on her damp skin, "Oh… uh… no I was just kind of doing whatever moved me. You know… just listening to the water."

"Listening to the water…" Aang repeated absentmindedly as he pulled a stream of water from the surface, guiding it between his hands in a ribbon around him.

Katara smiled as she watched him. "You've gotten really good, Aang. You must have found an amazing Sifu to help you finish your mastery of Waterbending."

Aang paused, the water stream dancing nimbly at his fingers, awaiting his next command, "Yeah. She's pretty amazing," he answered with a sly grin. "Some say she's the best in the Southern Tribe."

Katara couldn't help but return his flirtatious smile as she raised her eyebrows at him, "Is that so?"

Aang just answered with a shrug as he went back to twirling his water ribbon in streams around him.

Katara chuckled lightly, "Aang, you aren't telling me that I'm the only Sifu you've had for Waterbending… Surely you picked up another Master after I came home."

Aang shook his head, "Nope. You were the only one I wanted teaching me Waterbending," he answered simply. "Plus, I knew that I'd see you again and we could pick up where we left off…"

Neither of them really knew how it happened, but somehow the stream of water Aang had been bending had become a combined effort as they diverted the flow in circles between them, Aang at one pole of the circle, Katara at the opposite pole, and consequently the moon in the center of it.

Katara looked at him with curious eyes over the pale reflection, "Then how'd you get so good at it without a Master all these years?"

Aang shrugged his shoulders again and smiled his signature grin, "I don't know. I guess I learned more from you than I thought." He chuckled as a thought occurred to him, "Really… in a way… even though you weren't physically there, you're still the reason I mastered it."

Katara squinted her eyes at him in thought, "What do you mean?"

"After you came home, I started Waterbending a lot…" he paused and smiled. "A whole lot… Like every night."

"Why?" she asked softly.

"It made me feel closer to you," he said with a warm smile. "It made it seem like you weren't so far away."

Katara returned his smile with a balmy blush as they continued to move the stream of water between them. "Kind of seems like old times, huh?" she said suddenly. "I mean… waterbending together and all…"

Aang paused, meeting her gaze and smiling. "Yeah…" he chuckled a little as the realization hit him, "I guess it kind of does."

The silence that followed was unlike that which had accompanied them for the past four days. It was mutual, and not forced… Words weren't really needed when they were bending together like this… they never had been. Katara was glad that it seemed that at least that aspect of their relationship hadn't changed.

After several quiet moments, the only sound being the soft lapping of water against the stream's bank, Aang finally broke the silence. It seemed he had been struggling with what to say, because she could feel the hesitancy in his words as he spoke, "Katara… I know you probably don't want to talk about it…" Katara suppressed a sigh as he continued, "but I really am sorry about… everything… about leaving you for so long… about not keeping my promise… about your Gran Gran…"

Katara felt her heart sink at the mention of her grandmother, she swallowed hard and continued to move the stream of water between them, "Aang, please… don't…" She could feel her heart beating more furiously and her breathing deepening as she diverted her eyes to the moon's reflection again.

"I should have been here with you when she died. I should have been here and I wasn't." Aang continued apologetically, the ripple of the moon on the water's surface soothing his words as he spoke.

Katara shook her head softly as she diverted her gaze back to his eyes, "Aang, you were capturing Azula and the Dei Lei. Really… I'm okay, it's no big deal. That was a long time ago…"

"I saw the letter Katara," he interrupted suddenly.

Katara couldn't help it when the stream of water crashed to the surface, making a stark splash that seemed to resonate throughout the forest around them. The moon's reflection rippled violently across the surface of the water as she stared at him wide-eyed. "What?"

The guilt and shame was written plainly across his face as he answered. "When I gave you those flowers… While I was in your office, I saw the letter. I didn't mean to… I mean, there was a paper crumpled up on the floor and I just bent over to pick it up…" the look on Katara's face was hard to meet, so he deflected his gaze to his hands, "I saw my name on it in your handwriting… I only meant to read the first few lines… I'm sorry…"

Katara remained silent as she contemplated her feelings over the invasion of her privacy. What right did he have to read that letter? How stupid she had been to just leave it lying around, she should have been more careful… But despite her frustrations, she believed him when he said it was an accident.

She sighed as she redirected her focus towards him, "Aang… It's okay. I wrote that when I was really upset. I didn't send it because I came to my senses and realized how childish and selfish I was being…"

Aang shook his head intensely, "No Katara. You're the most unselfish person I've ever met. And you were right… I should have been here with you when it happened. I was the one being selfish!"

Katara laughed disbelievingly, "You? Selfish? Aang, that's ridiculous. You rescued the world from tyranny and warfare and you gave up your life to maintain peace between Nations! How could that possibly be selfish?!" She could feel the moon's presence fueling her words as she spoke, and she drew a deep breath to calm herself.

Aang sighed, his breath condensing in the cool air and mending with the steam. "I haven't been fair to you Katara," he said quietly. "I… I didn't mean to…" he paused, as if trying to decide what to say next. "I never meant to hurt you," his eyes found their way to hers softly. "I guess deep down I kind of convinced myself that you were better off without me…"

"Aang…" Katara answered disapprovingly as she tried to think of something to respond with.

"But I was selfish Katara… When you told me there was a wedding coming up… I came back," he moved towards her, his body cutting through the moon's reflection in a wake of black and white. "I came back because I wanted to see you. I came back because…" he paused, looking to the moon for strength, "I was afraid that I was loosing you."

"I couldn't bear the thought of you marrying another man," Katara felt her breath hitch in her throat as he cut through the steam around her, his body dangerously close to hers. "I was wrong to stay gone for so long… I'm sorry."

"Aang, I… You can't….Please…" she suddenly couldn't think straight with him being so close. His spicy sweet scent was overtaking her and she could feel the heat radiating from him through the water. The moon's effect on her senses heightened to dangerous levels with his close proximity, unlike anything she'd ever experienced.

Her thoughts raced in meaningless and irrational circles as she tried to make sense of the situation. What was he saying? Something about being gone for so long… But then she was breathing in his scent again, causing her skin to tingle under the moon's radiance as she tried to calm the blood thundering in her ears…

And then his hand was on her shoulder. His touch felt like fire on her bare skin and she realized that he was looking at her with those big silver grey eyes. She knew he was saying something, but her mind was so fuzzy with… with Aang, that she couldn't make sense of what he was saying. The steam rising around them only added to the fog in her head and she glanced desperately at the moon hanging over them, silently pleading with it to clear the haze.

"Katara?"

She heard her name leave his lips and she felt totally intoxicated by it. His grip on her shoulder tightened faintly, and it was then that she made the mistake of looking him in the eyes. She didn't notice the confusion in his brow as she slowly lost herself in the silvery grey lines of his irises. All the pain, love, adoration, guilt, growth… everything that was Aang shown brightly behind thick dark lashes. It was a primal urge, and one that she never knew she possessed, but as she saw the moon's light reflecting in his eyes she felt herself being drawn to them...

She was faintly aware of her lips crashing against his before a wave of realization hit her like a ton bricks.

Her immediate thought was to stop. Stop what she was doing, pull away, and run. But the lunar tug held her grounded, and when she finally felt his lips move against hers all rational thoughts floated away.

As his mouth pressed evenly against hers, everything that was Aang… his scent, his touch, his breath… seemed to flood her senses all at once. She could feel herself slipping more and more into his body as he took control of the kiss. Her hands easily found their way around his neck as the fingers that had been gripping her shoulder intertwined into her hair.

He must have felt the same intense reaction, because suddenly his tongue was nipping at the corner of her mouth and he was eagerly wrapping his other arm around her waist and pulling her closer. She could feel his body warming against hers and the water around them emitted more steam into the air in response. The moon's glow showered against the vapors serenely as the six years that had separated her from him dissipated into the night sky with them.

When her lungs finally began to burn for air, she pulled from him reluctantly, flushed and out of breath. His eyes were practically glowing with excitement and he grinned widely as he too drew deep heavy breaths. "Wow Katara," he said breathlessly after he'd finally regained some of his composure, "An Airbender should never be left breathless..."

Katara remained speechless, still in his strong embrace and completely astonished at what she'd just done. What happened? How? What it just a dream?

Had she really just kissed her best friend…the Avatar? Had she really just kissed Aang?

The fog that had clouded her mind only moments before was still waning on the edge of her periphery as she stared back at him in a dream state. "Aang… I…" she lost her voice as his fingers moved to peel some stray hair from her sweaty forehead.

"We should be getting back," he said softly before kissing her forehead with a light brush of his lips. "The sun will be coming up soon."

Katara nodded as she glanced up to the sky with a wayward eye, noting the dim orange glow spreading its way from the east. The moon suddenly didn't seem quite so ominous as it paled against the lightening blanket of blue and violet.

The next few moments happened in a blur, and she suddenly found herself walking through the woods, her parka resting heavily on her shoulders and her fingers interlaced with Aang's tightly. As her house came into view and the paled moon reappeared behind the forest ceiling, one thought hit her in an unexpected realization…

_I'm in love. I'm in love with the Avatar…_

* * *

**A/N: **I just couldn't resist using the Moon Spirit as a matchmaker in this chapter! I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out, so let me know what you think: ) 


	11. What Are Friends For

**A/N: **Ah! Apologies to my readers because it took me forever to get this chapter started! But alas, graduation is behind me now and I finally got some free time to get this one down on paper… er computer screen. I'm not sure I'd call it a spoiler, but there is a tiny reference to the Western Air Temple episode near the end in Katara's flashback…

* * *

What Are Friends For?

It felt weird… watching him take off into the clouds again on Appa, her feet planted firmly on the ground and her eyes on the sky. She could still feel the burn of his lips on her mouth as she stood in the snow-covered field, a faint numbness in her chest as Aang and Sokka became a distant dot on the horizon.

"Well, I hope my parents are better flyers than I am…" Toph mumbled before turning back towards the town. "Sokka may be in for more than he bargained for."

"You think they'll be okay?" Katara worried out-loud as she finally tore her eyes from the sky and turned towards her blind friend. Her throat felt dry as she spoke, and she suddenly realized it'd been one of the few things she'd said all morning.

"Oh yeah…" Toph answered with a dismissive wave of her hand. ""Somehow, I just don't think that a giant furry monster will fit into Mom and Dad's travel plans," she said with a satisfied smirk.

"Right…" Katara moved her eyes back to sky momentarily before sighing and turning back towards the house to help Toph through the snow. She didn't have the energy to tell Toph it wasn't her parents she was worried about.

* * *

They'd only been in the air a total of three minutes before Aang started daydreaming… He could remember another time in he and Katara's relationship when he had contemplated their future and what it would lead to… when he had wondered silently to himself what the next step would be and if either of them would actually end up taking it.

In fact… there were several of those moments that he could probably catalogue into countless events and opportunities. But one such time stood vividly in the forefront of his mind, and not unlike his current situation, it involved an unexpected kiss… the morning of the invasion… the morning after he had tried to tell Katara his feelings for her and had ended up kissing her instead… he found himself worrying quietly how this situation would play out in comparison…

_It had been a beautiful morning. Ironic… because it would actually go down in the history books as "the darkest day in the Fire Nation"… the day Ozai's tyranny ended… the day the sky fell black and the earth was dark._

_Aang glared into the stream of water with determination, feeling the sharp blade running over his scalp and black hair falling around him in curtains. The winds swirled the waters into tiny whirlpools below him, carrying his disguise down the river in little black currents. He knew she was watching him from the campsite, and he sighed heavily as he ran his hand over his once again bald head before grabbing his glider and standing back up. _

_He knew he should go talk to her about the previous night… Try to explain why he had kissed her so impulsively and then ran back to camp when he realized what he'd done, throwing awkward apologies at her startled expression and trying to hide his embarrassment with excuses of 'needing sleep' and 'fighting the Fire Lord tomorrow' and whatever else he could come up with at the moment._

_He sighed again, mentally kicking himself for being so spineless. He's the Avatar! He's supposed to be fearless! So why is he having so much trouble letting her know about his feelings for her?! He groaned inwardly as he noticed her stirring near the camp, realizing that she was approaching him… probably coming to the water to fill her water-skins._

_He quickly kneeled at the shoreline again and splashed some water over his head as she approached. He didn't look up when he felt her pulling water from the river and into the pouches at her hips. "Hey Katara," he said dryly, annoyingly noting the hesitancy in his voice. He cleared his throat and tried again, "Nice morning…"_

"_Yeah… it is," she answered quietly. _

"_Yeah…" he said awkwardly before finally looking up at her. "It is…"_

_Katara chuckled lightly, "Aang, I just said that."_

"_Right… sorry," he responded quickly, rubbing at the back of his neck nervously. The silence that followed was nerve-racking. He drew a deep breath as he tried to calm his thoughts. The heat from the morning sun was already hot on his bald head as he suddenly realized that now might be the last chance he would get to tell Katara his feelings for her._

_He started shakily, "Um… Katara… I…" _

"_Yes Aang?" She looked to him hopefully, and he couldn't help but notice the optimistic gaze in her eyes._

_He swallowed hard, trying to calm his racing heart, "I uh… I'm sorry about last night…About the uh… That. And I didn't mean to… offend you or anything. I'm, I'm sorry."_

_He felt his burden lighten as she smiled at him, "Aang why are you apologizing?"_

_He drew a deep breath, "I don't know… I just wanted to tell you… something. And I just sort of got carried away I guess."_

_Katara looked at him confused, "Tell me what, Aang?" _

_Aang glanced back over the camp nervously, noting how close to leaving the rest of his comrades were, "Katara… I wanted to tell you… It might be the last chance I get to say…" he realized he was wringing his hands, and he put them down at his sides. "What I mean is… that I care about you… a lot. And if I don't tell you this now, I might not ever get the chance to say it… So…"_

_Katara smiled at him, trying to put him at ease so that he could say what it was he wanted to say. He paused, returning her smile and feeling his nerves calm down around him, "Katara… What I wanted to tell you is… that we've been through a lot together over the past year, some times obviously more fun than others," here her paused to chuckle. "I've grown really close to you Katara," he felt his cheeks flaring up dim crimson as he made eye contact with her, "I've never had a friend like you before…I care a lot about you and I guess what I'm trying to say is… I l-"_

"_Katara! Aang! What are you doing?! It's time to go!" Sokka's voice came from the camp site, and Aang looked over to it mid-sentence, missing the annoyed look Katara was sending her brother. _

_He jumped when he felt Katara's hand grab his to turn his attention back to her, "What Aang? You what?" she was pleading with her eyes, willing him to finish his sentence._

"_I uh…" his nerves began pinching in his insides again, and his stomach turned dramatically as he met her eyes, "It's n-nothing, Katara… I'll uh… I'll just tell you later." _

_He missed the disappointment in her eyes as he hurriedly picked up his glider and motioned towards the camp, "We'd better get going, the others are waiting on us…"_

Sokka's voice faintly brought Aang back from his memories…

"So, Aang," Sokka said as he pulled a map out of his bag, spreading it neatly over Appa's saddle. "I figure it will take us most of the day to reach the colony where we're meeting Toph's parents." He pointed to a small island off the mainland to illustrate his point, "So we'll meet up with them this evening and head back to the South Pole first thing tomorrow morning. We should be home in plenty of time for dinner."

"Sure…" Aang responded distractedly his eyes fixated in a worried trance.

Sokka narrowed his eyes at his younger friend, "Right, and then we'll stop by Kyoshi Island and invite the Unagi to the wedding… after all, he is the coordinator."

"Uh huh…" Aang responded with a slight nod of his head, his eyes still staring off distantly as he trailed his fingers in little circles across the edge of the map.

"After that… we'll stop by Sparky Sparky Boom Man's house for tea before going to Azula's cell to help her escape…"

"Whatever you say, Sokka," Aang noted airily.

Sokka rolled his eyes and placed a hand on his friend's shoulder to bring him back to reality, "Aang… what's the deal?" Aang shook his head of his thoughts and focused on Sokka as he continued. "You've been acting weird all morning. You didn't get a hold of some bad cactus juice, did you?"

Aang chuckled and pulled Sokka's hand from his shoulder, "What? No… no cactus juice for me. Sorry… I just have a lot on my mind I guess," he smiled, suddenly feeling very nervous as he stood up to take the reigns again.

"Oh, and I'm sure that has nothing to do with my sister? Does it?" Sokka grinned knowingly as he stretched back into Appa's saddle, the morning sun warming his face.

"What? No. Nothing about Katara. Not at all." Aang stammered, feeling the blush rise to his cheeks as he thought about what had happened in the stream bank only hours ago. "It's… s-something else… entirely different," he stuttered as he situated himself behind the reigns. "Definitely _not_ Katara."

Sokka raised his eyebrows and crossed his hands behind his head, "Aang, I'm not an idiot," he said simply. "I know that look on your face."

Aang cleared his throat and tried his best to look what he thought was normal, "What look?"

Sokka laughed, shook his head and looked up into the clouds above as he answered, "She's got you," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "She's got you right where she wants you."

Aang glanced over his shoulder nervously at Sokka's laid back posture, "What are you talking about?"

Sokka closed his eyes lazily as he spoke, "Women are like the tides, Aang. They push you and pull you and sometimes drown you." He pulled one arm from behind his head to gesture as he talked. "Right when you think you've got them figured out, they change on you. They're unpredictable, complicated, but mesmerizing. They're never the same day to day, but they're always reliable." He peeked open one eye to peer over at Aang, "You get my drift?" he asked as he replaced his arm behind his head.

Aang laughed confusingly, "You're starting to sound like Iroh, Sokka. But what does that have to do with me?"

Sokka sighed and smirked, "You tell me."

Aang paused, giving Sokka thoughtful look before continuing, "It's… complicated," he said sighing.

"Complicated?" Sokka laughed, "You're in love with my sister. What's so complicated about that?"

"I know, but it's not like…." Aang trailed off as Sokka's words sunk in, "Wait… you knew?!" he asked incredulously as he peered over his shoulder again.

Sokka pulled his head off his arms to give Aang a 'who-do-you-think-I-am' kind of look before smiling, "I've known since we were kids Aang. You weren't exactly discreet about it. I think Katara's the only one who didn't pick up on it!"

Aang was numb for words, so he just nodded solemnly and turned back towards the reigns.

"She's crazy about you…" Sokka said indifferently. "You know that… right?"

Aang opened his mouth to respond, but realized he didn't really know what to say. He sighed, snapping his mouth shut and resigning to his thoughts as the Southern Water Tribe became a distant dot on the horizon behind them.

He could still feel how Katara's lips had felt on his… and he absent mindedly brought his hand to his mouth as he thought about how it had happened. It all seemed like a blur now, but he had been trying to tell her… He'd been struggling to say 'Katara, I love you,' while stammering on about how sorry he was for leaving her all those years ago. And then, before he really knew what was happening… he was tangled into her, his mouth against hers and his entire body on fire from her touch.

Thinking about it now, he couldn't remember if she had kissed him or the other way around. All he remembered was the moon's reflection in the water around them, and then faintly being surprised by the intoxicating feel of her body against his. Just thinking about it caused an inaudible moan to rumble from the back of his throat as his blood began to thunder more fervently through his veins.

He drew a deep breath to calm himself as he tried to retrain his thoughts.

"I wonder what the girls are doing…" he wondered out-loud, the heat in his face residing.

Sokka chuckled, still unmoving from his relaxed position, "Probably talking about you…" he mumbled under his breath.

"What?" Aang called back as he glanced over his shoulder.

Sokka cleared his throat loudly, "I said probably getting stuff ready for the wedding!"

Aang nodded as he turned back towards the clouds ahead, "Yeah… you're probably right."

* * *

"_We'll be back tomorrow night Katara, I promise…" _his words still rung in her ear like they had when he had whispered them there only a few hours ago, right before they left. His eyes had been sincere but her heart was reluctant as she answered with a small smile…

"_Just be careful," _she had whispered back as he pulled her into a hug, earning sideways glances from Toph and Sokka as they stayed in each others' arms a little longer than usual.

Toph cleared her throat loudly and Katara jolted from her thoughts, fumbling with the small ice sculpture she had been working on before it went crashing to the ground. Toph sighed as she heard the ice shatter on impact, "What's up with you Sugarqueen? You're acting even weirder than usual."

"Sorry Toph," Katara answered as she melted the ice and bent it back into a single chunk. "I'm just not really feeling like myself today."

"_Today_ huh?" Toph chuckled as she sat the lump of earth she'd been molding on the table. "You haven't _been yourself _all week," she answered, raised eyebrows behind thick black bangs.

Katara moved to object, but Toph beat her to it, "I may not have working eyes, Katara… but I know something when I see it." She said simply, "I know there's something going on between you and Twinkle Toes."

Katara fingered the chunk of ice she'd been working on as she answered, "Toph… I…" she sighed, trying to decide how to respond. Suddenly, she sat the ice on the table and looked up to her friend thoughtfully, "How did you know you were in love with my brother?" She felt silly asking her younger friend for love advice, but she was her only female friend to ask. "I mean, I remember you two fighting all the time when we were kids and now look…" she gestured around them, "…We're sitting here making ice and earth sculptures as table decorations for your wedding in three days!"

Toph cleared her throat, seemingly caught off guard, "Oh… well… Um…" she sighed, and then suddenly smiled. It was a smile that she only used when she was either with Sokka, thinking about Sokka, or talking about Sokka, and it lit up her entire face as she continued, bringing a certain light to her useless eyes, "I guess it just kind of… happened."

Katara nodded, more for herself than anything else since Toph couldn't see it. Toph chuckled before continuing, "I guess I always kind of liked him, but we were kids. And you know… I was kind of…"

Katara smiled, "Stubborn? Arrogant? Hotheaded?" she finished good naturedly.

Toph narrowed her pale eyes, "I was going to say shy…"

Katara suppressed a giggle with her palm, "Sorry…"

Toph let herself smile back before continuing, "Anyways… I was too shy to say anything. And then, after we hadn't seen each other in a while, I guess it just sort of… happened."

"But how did you know? How'd you know it was something… more?" Katara asked hopefully. "How'd you know it was real?"

Toph shrugged her shoulders, "Being blind my entire life has made me somewhat more intuitive to other things. I've never been able to lie to myself like other people do… I guess I knew there was no denying my feelings for him."

Katara nodded again as a certain Airbending Avatar's smile filled her thoughts. Toph smiled her Sokka-smile, her pale eyes seemingly greener as she continued, "Katara, when I'm with Sokka… it's like nothing else matters. Nothing can compare to the way he makes me feel. I don't know if that's love… but it's good enough for me."

"I think…" Katara sighed, trying to decide rather or not she wanted to put into words what she thought she had felt last night. "I think I'm in love… with Aang."

Toph laughed, earning a sideways glare from her older friend. "I don't see the humor in this situation Toph…" Katara hissed. Toph tried to contain her laughter to soft giggles by pressing her palm into her mouth, but she failed miserably.

"Oh, never mind!" Katara threw her hands up in the air exasperated as she stood up.

"You think that I haven't known that?" Toph said quickly as Katara turned to leave. "Geez Katara, I thought we'd already established that I'm the one who's blind!"

Katara turned back to peer down at Toph, "You… you knew all along?"

Toph smirked through long black bangs before turning her attention back to the mound of earth on the table. "You act like it's a bad thing."

"What do you mean?" Katara asked as she retook her seat at the table.

"Being in love… you act like it's a bad thing." Toph answered simply. "I would think that you'd be happy."

Katara paused, realizing how sullen she had been acting all morning. "It's not that… I'm just… scared."

"Scared? Of Aang?"

Katara sighed, picking up another chunk of ice to bend, "It's not the Aang side of Aang that I'm worried about… It's the Avatar side of Aang. The side of him that has duties and destiny, the part of him that has to sacrifice himself for the world. I'm afraid that…" she paused, turning her eyes to her hands, "that I'll loose him again."

Toph nodded thoughtfully. "I see…"

A dull silence followed as the girls busied themselves with their elements again. Katara let her mind wander as she chiseled the ice into small decorative sculptures, remembering the heat of Aang's kiss, the silver in his eyes, and the gentle smoothness in his voice. She couldn't help but wonder if he and Sokka had had a similar conversation.

She found her thoughts drifting through the past six years and how dull and void her life suddenly seemed as she had recovered the loss of her best friend. She'd been confused, hurt, and betrayed… and all along she'd been in love and never known it… She couldn't help but relate recent incidents to those in their past: an unexpected kiss, a sorrowful goodbye, and a hopeful return… Her fingers drifted to her lips as she suddenly felt the remembered pressure of how his mouth had felt against hers. It wasn't the first time she'd tried to memorize the feeling of his lips...

_The Fire Nation sun that day had been particularly hot. As if the Spirits knew how chilled she would feel from his absence, and they warmed the sky in an attempt of comfort. She felt every step etch into the ground in remorse as they neared the Fire Navy docks, her heart skipping beats at the thought of going home… but beating raggedly at the thought of leaving him behind… _

_Somehow, she realized that their fingers had entwined along the way, Aang's palm soft and firm against hers and his fingers laced with hers tightly. She turned to him, noting the sad smile in his eyes as he returned her glance. He managed to smile genuinely at her as he squeezed her hand gently, "Don't look so upset about going home, or I might just decide to keep you here for myself!" he joked lightheartedly. _

_She smiled back at him, wondering silently to herself how he always managed to lighten her mood, "Sorry, I just really wish you were coming with us." _

"_I know, I wish I was going with you guys too…" he looked to Sokka and Toph who were a few strides ahead, joking and laughing as usual. "But I'm needed here."_

_She looked down at her feet as she answered, "I know… But maybe," she looked back up to him, "…maybe I should just wait and come back with you later. I mean, you can't really be expected to do all this on your own anyways. Right?"_

_Aang smiled at her longingly before responding, only because they'd already had this conversation countless times since Aang had first suggested she go home during the commencement ceremony. "Katara, I can't keep you here. You need to go to your family, your home. You're needed there." He grinned as he continued, "Besides, I won't be doing it on my own. I've got Zuko!"_

_Katara couldn't help the giggle that escaped her lips, "You've got Zuko huh?" Aang joined in her lighthearted amusement, "Why does that still sound so weird?"_

_Aang laughed, drawing his mouth into a wide smile as he rubbed at the back of his neck with his free hand, "I don't know, but it does sound pretty strange. He's getting better though… At least he's finally calling me Aang instead of "The Avatar"."_

_Katara chortled at his impersonation of the new Fire Lord. "That's a pretty good one Aang," she cleared her throat and lowered her voice with a dark croakiness in her best Zuko-impersonation. "Hi… Zuko here." _

_Aang laughed harder, wiping the tears from the corners of his eyes as Katara joined him. _

_When their laughter had died into silence, they caught each other's gaze momentarily before Aang smiled and motioned towards the horizon, "Just think… you haven't seen your Gran Gran in over a year now. What would she think if you didn't come home at the first opportunity so she could hear from her own granddaughter how you helped take down a tyrant?"_

_Katara drew a deep breath and nodded, "Okay Aang." _

_He squeezed her hand again reassuringly, "I'll be there with you guys before you know it."_

_She paused as she realized they had finally reached the docks. "Promise?"_

_Aang looked over to Sokka and Toph who had already busied themselves with pilling their belongings onto the Fire Nation vessel. He smiled as he turned towards her, his fingers still gripping hers. "I promise."_

* * *

**A/N: **Ok, so… we're moving right along kiddies! Katara's impersonation of Zuko is from the new Western Air Temple episode, I had to add that in because I found that rather entertaining. For the sake of explaining the fall of Ozai and how it all happened… we'll just go along with The Day of Black Sun and how it happened in the show. Obviously, I changed a few things about it, like Katara and Aang kissing the night before and then talking at the river instead of on top of the submarines… but you get the idea, right?

Anyways, this was a long chapter for me and a hard one to write, so as always please review!


	12. Making Plans

**A/N: **I know… I know… This is way overdue. I'm sorry it took so long to post, but I've been really busy with the Holidays and such, trying to find a job, and all those other little inconveniences of life. But anywho… I did finally finish it, so I hope you enjoy.

Oh! And I almost forgot, I'm starting a new oneshots series featuring our fav. couple, Katara and Aang, so if you have any requests/suggestions I'd love to hear them! Just PM me or give it to me in a review!

* * *

Making Plans

Aang groaned inaudibly, either out of boredom or impatience he wasn't sure… but it was definitely somewhat out of annoyance either way. He drummed his fingers mindlessly over his knee caps as Sokka sighed heavily at his side.

"Are you sure we're at the right dock?" Aang asked for what must have been the third or fourth time. "It's been over an hour now…" He stretched his arms up over his head in an attempt to relieve some of the stiffness that was setting into his muscles.

Sokka nodded, "Yes Aang… We're at the right dock…" He sighed again as he glanced at the setting sun, noting the bright orange and yellow glow that was making its way across the sky. "I'm sure they'll be here any second."

Aang matched his disinterested expression as he relaxed his arms back to his lap and turned his eyes to his hands. The waiting was killing him, and the lack of conversation that had accompanied them the past few hours was only making him more uncomfortable. Despite their earlier revelations, neither Aang nor Sokka had made any attempt to delve deeper into Aang's feelings for Katara. The silence was stiffening and rather nerve racking…

Aang spoke up suddenly, keeping his focus on his hands as he spoke. "You're okay… with me being in love with Katara." He said it as a statement instead of a question, because it was a revelation he had only recently reached when he realized that Sokka had not pummeled him when he'd found out.

"Yeah…" Sokka answered, "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, you never seemed to think much of Katara's boyfriends when we were kids…" Aang thought out-loud.

Sokka chuckled as he turned to Aang, "Neither did you."

Aang smiled as he nodded, "Yeah, I guess you're right."

Sokka paused before he responded, "Aang, ever since my dad left me in charge of our village, I stepped into a role that I'd never taken with Katara. I had to protect her… I've spent the better part of my life protecting her." He smiled as he placed a reassuring hand on the Avatar's shoulder, "I trust you, Aang. I know you'll take care of her and do right by her. She cares a lot about you and I know you'd never do anything to hurt her."

Aang nodded with a thoughtful expression as Sokka's hand dropped back to his lap. "I love her Sokka…" Aang smiled as he said it, his mouth tugging into a boyish grin at the sound of the words. "I've always loved her." Suddenly, the universe seemed to spin into a brighter motion and the air seemed a little cleaner. It felt invigorating to finally put his feelings into words…

"Does she know?" Sokka asked suddenly, bringing Aang from his thoughts. He paused, and Sokka started to ask him again thinking Aang must not have heard him.

"I've got to tell her…" Aang said into his lap before looking up to Sokka with bright eyes. "I've got to tell her Sokka."

"How?" Sokka asked matter-of-factly.

Aang wrinkled his brow, "What do you mean _how_? I've just got to tell her…"

"Aang…" Sokka lowered his voice to display his serious female knowledge. "You can't just _tell her_. You've got to do something great. You've got to make it… special."

"Special…" Aang repeated quietly… He wasn't quite sure what Sokka meant. He'd grown up a monk and hadn't had too much experience with the opposite gender since then. "I guess I'm in new territory here, Sokka. I've always just done what came naturally."

Sokka chuckled at the helpless expression on his young friend's face, "Don't worry Aang. This situation calls for _my_ expertise…"

* * *

In the warm glow of the fireplace, the snow and ice that had blown in a few hours ago didn't seem quite as chilling. Katara closed her eyes and relaxed into the cushions beside the hearth, wrapping her fingers around her tea cup and breathing in the sweet scent of honey and jasmine.

"Just when I think it couldn't get any colder here…"

Katara smiled good-naturally as she opened her eyes and peered over the rim of her cup.

Toph slumped into the small chair on the opposite side of the fireplace, her arms folded across her chest, her eyes staring derisively into the fire. "This has to be the miserable icy place on the planet", she mumbled.

"It's not that bad," Katara answered, snuggling further into her cushions. "It's actually kind of nice."

"Nice?" Toph exclaimed as she hugged her arms across her chest tighter, shivering despite herself. "Are you nuts? It's freezing!"

"We've got a nice fire going, just go get yourself some hot tea and you'll warm up," Katara sighed contently to emphasize her point. The steam rising from her tea dissipated from her breath, and suddenly the thought of moons, water, and slow wet kisses filled Katara's mind. She smiled unknowingly in her dream-like state as she pictured herself wrapped in tattooed arms on the surface of her steamy cup of tea.

She shook herself of her thoughts when Toph cleared her throat rather loudly. The blind Earthbender only said one thing, though Katara new what she was asking, "Twinkle Toes?"

_How is it that Toph is always so perceptive to what's going on around her?_ Katara thought as she smiled meekly, feeling the warm blush rise in her cheeks as she diverted her attention to the flames lapping at the wood in the fireplace. She laughed lightly as she answered, "How'd you know?"

"You make it too easy," Toph said with a smirk.

Katara wasn't sure if she should take that as a compliment or insult, so she decided not to respond to it.

"So… Tell me again why you can't tell him how you feel?" Toph asked suddenly, earning her an unnoticed sideways glare from her older friend. "I mean, what's the worst thing that could happen?"

Katara sighed, this time in annoyance, "It's not that easy…" She paused, reflecting on her situation further. "In fact… it's actually very complicated." Toph started to object, but Katara was suddenly spilling over with her frustrations, "It's probably the most un-easy thing that's ever happened to me really! Not only is he my best friend… he's the Avatar!" Suddenly, the soothing tea she had been sipping on didn't seem quite as appetizing anymore. She sat it on the hearth disgustfully.

Toph picked at her nails disinterestedly, "You're in love with a great guy, what's so _un-easy_ about that?"

Katara opened her mouth to respond with something equally enlightening, but paused when she realized how incredibly simple it sounded in such few words… _In love with a great guy_. She frowned as she gathered her bearings, "It's not like he can just abandon himself and runaway with me you know… It's not like we'd have a 'happily ever after'. He'll always have enemies, and he'll always have duties."

"Hm…" Toph hummed shortly, "I never knew you were much into 'happily-ever-after's, Katara. Although…." She paused for dramatic effect before smirking to herself, "I've never heard a story more fairytale than yours and Aang's." She laughed lightly as she stood up and started towards the kitchen, "I think I'm ready for that tea now…"

Katara chewed on her lip as she tried relaxing back into the cushions… _Why am I fighting this so hard?_ She thought as she picked up her tea again, painfully noting the absence of steam on the rim of her cup. _Why am I so afraid of this?_

* * *

_In two days…_

Aang awoke the next morning with the thought very vivid in his mind… _Two days left. Two days until the wedding… Two days until I tell the girl of my dreams how much I love her…_

He opened his eyes to the sound of distant bells, smiling to himself as he sat up and stretched his arms up over his head. Sokka was still snoring lazily in the bed across from him. Aang wrinkled his nose at the thin line of drool oozing from his friend's mouth before getting out of bed and making his way across the room to the balcony overlooking the docks below.

Early dawn was making its way across the small Earth Kingdom village, and few people had gotten up as early as he to see it. Not that he really _meant _to rise before the sun this particular day… He'd just found it more and more difficult to sleep these past few days. However, although the hours were short last night, he felt much more rested than previous mornings.

Aang sighed and rested his forearms against the railing, leaning over and watching the town spring to life below him. The warm breeze whipping around him felt harsh and empty against his skin and he somehow found himself very anxious to get back to the cooler climate of snow and ice. "I sure hope Sokka's plan works…" he mumbled to himself as a distant orange glow broke the eastern horizon.

"Of course it will work!"

Aang jumped at the sound of his older friend's voice behind him as Sokka yawned loudly, stretching his arms up high above his head before slinging one across Aang's shoulders. "When have I ever steered you wrong?" he grinned widely, jostling Aang softly.

"Well… there was that time that you're instincts led us right into that Fire Nation camp… "Aang smiled good-naturally, counting on his fingers as he spoke, "and the time you tried to lead us through the Serpent's Pass instead of taking the peaceful ferry… And ya know…" he pointed his fingers accusingly at the young Warrior, though the smile he wore did little to prove his seriousness, "…you even tried to ban me from the village the first time we met!"

Sokka pulled his arm from Aang's shoulder and signaled him to stop, "First of all… if I recall correctly, my instincts were also right on target about Jet. And we ended up having to go through the Serpent's Pass anyways. And as far as banning you," he paused to nudge Aang's ribs playfully, "I'm still not sure that wasn't such a bad idea."

Aang laughed, rolling his eyes dramatically and holding up four fingers now, "_Well… _What about the Cave of Two Lovers? You were convinced it was all a hoax, but it got us to Omashu safe a sound."

"Yes… who could forget _that..." _Sokka mumbled with a disgusted look on his face. "If I ever see a badger mole again, it'll be too soon…"

Aang blushed slightly for reasons Sokka didn't understand as he turned his attention back to the horizon. "Right…" Aang paused to clear his throat. "Anyways… I'm just not so sure about this… _plan_ of yours."

"Not sure?!" Sokka scoffed. "Come on Aang! It's fool proof!" He threw his hands up in the air wildly, and Aang couldn't help but recognize the old light in Sokka's eyes that was always there when he was scheming something. "Trust me… I know about this kind of stuff."

Aang raised his eyebrows questionably, "Is that so?"

"Hey, who's the one getting married in two days?" he answered smugly, arms crossed decisively.

Aang sighed, not taking his eyes off the horizon. "Okay Sokka…" he turned to his friend with a stern look on his face that didn't quite fit him. "But if she thinks I've gone crazy and runs out of the room screaming…"

"I know I know…" Sokka interjected with a smile. "Older brother takes the rap… I got it!"

* * *

Katara spent the better part of the day worrying.

Worrying about the weather; _it still hadn't stopped snowing_…. Worrying about the wedding; _how would they ever be ready in time?... _Worrying about deadlines at work and classes left to teach; _she'd been so distracted by recent events, she'd hardly worked on her lesson plans_… but mostly, worrying about Aang.

_Would he be okay? Did the Bei Fong's still hold a grudge for the Avatar 'kidnapping' their daughter? How does he really feel about her? Would he really come back or had he decided to leave again? How is she going to tell him her feelings for him? What if he doesn't feel the same?_

She felt ragged and exhausted by the time she and Toph left to meet them at the prairie tundra at dusk. But the second she recognized the outline of Appa on the horizon, all her worries and concerns seemed to dissolve within her. She awaited their descent with bated breath, without any attempts to subdue the growing smile that was spreading across her face as her gaze landed on the bald monk sitting behind the reigns.

Her smile grew, if possible, as Aang airbended himself from the great beast and started helping the Lady Bei Fong to the ground. As soon as her feet had connected safely, he turned to Katara with a smile to match. Neither missed a beat, and within seconds they were in each other's arms again.

Katara breathed in Aang's familiar scent and wrapped her arms around his neck tighter, assuring herself that he was actually there. She suddenly realized how worried she really had been about him actually returning…

"Katara…" Aang said, voice strained from her embrace. "I can't really breathe…"

Katara loosened her grip a little and chuckled as she looked up to see his playful grin staring back at her, "I'm just glad you made it back safe. The weather…" she paused, reaching out a hand to collect a few falling snowflakes, "It hasn't stopped snowing since you left."

Aang smiled warmly, pulling his eyes from hers to admire the way the snow frosted her hair and lashes in little crystal drops. She closed her eyes as he brushed his fingers along her hairline, smoothing a few stray wisps from her face. "Nothing could have kept me away- umph."

He was interrupted as a snowball crashed into the back of his hood, sending little icy pellets all around him. He cocked an eyebrow at Katara's smirk before turning around to see Sokka bouncing another projectile playfully in his hand. "Sorry man… I just couldn't resist," he grinned, a rather satisfied tone in his stance as he moved to throw another ball of snow, though this one was aimed at his sister.

However, before he could release his weapon, he was hit in the face by a rouge snowball. He scowled, wiping the snow from his eyes and sputtering as he turned towards his attacker.

Toph smirked through long black bangs. "Sorry hun… I just couldn't resist," she said mockingly with a fake sweet nature that seemed eerie coming from Toph.

"Aren't we supposed to be on the same team?" he said with a hint of mischief in his voice.

"Aren't you supposed to be an impenetrable warrior with excellent peripheral vision?" she teased as she readied another snowball.

The Bei Fong parents gasp in unison as Sokka barreled after their daughter, tackling her into a nearby snow bank. Aang came up beside them, placing a reassuring hand on the Lord Bei Fong's shoulder, "Don't worry…"

"They do this all the time," Katara added to the Lady as Toph and Sokka's yelling and accusations turned to laughter.

------------------------------------------------------------------

**A/N: **So… I just had to do the little snowball fight at the end, since it's the holidays and such. And correct me if I'm wrong, but I totally see Toph and Sokka's relationship this way. That's how it is in the show, all the teasing and arguing, and I just don't think that they'd ever really grow out of that.

I know it lacked in fluff, but I promise I'll make up for it. I haven't yet decided if the next chapter will start the wedding or not. I kind of think that I still need one more before that. If you have any suggestions I'd love to hear them in a review!! And don't forget about the oneshots, if you have requests/suggestions…


	13. A Plan in Action

**A/N: **So, I know what you're all thinking...Yay! An update : )

So, it appears this story is going to end up being longer than I had anticipated. I just can't stop writing it! Arg! But I'm sure that is of no worry to my readers. So, happy reading! (I took the time to describe Aang's and Katara's clothing in this one because I realized I hadn't done that yet…)

* * *

_**A Plan in Action**_

The morning before the wedding day buzzed in a chaotic frenzy. Katara's fingers ached tremendously from pinning and sewing Toph's dress, much to the demise of the bride who had insisted that her normal attire would be just fine. But, of course, Katara's stubborn nature wouldn't have it. Her brother deserved to see his bride in a proper ceremonial gown, though she did admire the small touches Toph had insisted on adding to make it special for a proud Earthbender.

However, Katara was thoroughly annoyed with said brother at the moment. Sokka had already come to her too many times to count, a frantic craze in his eyes as he groaned about Toph's father and his "intentions of grandchildren very soon". Katara nearly came unglued the first time he barged in, as it gave her little time to slam the door in his face before he caught a glimpse of Toph modeling the dress for further alterations.

And her annoyance didn't stop with her frantic older brother. Katara was grateful for the extra pair of hands that the Lady Bei Fong offered when it came to preparing pastries and various hors d'oeuvres, though she could have done without her incessant pestering and last minute changes.

Gifts had to be organized and listed, preparations made for the music and decorations, and, of course, arrangements made for the countless guests that the Bei Fongs had "cordially invited". Despite the immense growth of the village, Katara wondered silently to herself if the Southern Water Tribe had enough room for all the stuck-up dignitaries that would no doubt be in attendance tomorrow.

_But none of that matters, _Katara reminded herself as she sewed another stitch into the waistline, _because tomorrow is Sokka and Toph's day. Not theirs… _She had made it her personal responsibility to make sure everything would be perfect.

Katara winced as another pin stuck the end of her finger. "Ow…" she muttered between teeth full of pins as she drew her hand back, careful not to let a drop of blood stain the delicate fabric.

Toph turned her head in the direction of Katara's mutterings, a smirk evident in her pale eyes, "If you'd just let me wear my own clothes that wouldn't have happened…"

Katara glared, biting hard on the pins between her teeth, "It wouldn't have happened if you would just be _still_…"

Toph opened her mouth to counterattack, but a soft knocking on the door interrupted her.

Katara sighed in exasperation, grabbing the handful of pins from her mouth disgustfully as she turned towards the shut door, "Sokka, not now! I'm busy!!" she yelled as she healed the small spot on her index finger.

She gasped as the door creaked open, spreading her arms across Toph hurriedly to try to hide anything she could. She relaxed, however, when she saw Aang poke his head through the crack, an arrowed tattoo shielding his eyes.

"Katara?"

"Is something wrong Aang?" she asked hurriedly, "Please don't tell me my Dad lost the license again! Tell him to look in his desk, I put it in the top drawer."

"No Katara," Aang said, shaking his head, "It's not that-"

"Sokka? He's freaking out about the grandkids thing again isn't he?" she interrupted as she walked towards him. "Tell him to relax and drink the tea I made him. It's sitting in the kitchen."

Aang chuckled and shook his head again, "No no…"

Katara threw her hands up to her mouth in a gasp. "Uh… it's flowers isn't it?! I knew Sokka shouldn't have picked them so early! The blooms wilted didn't they?!"

"Katara!" he interjected through her worries, grabbing one of her hands and pulling her out the door into the hallway. The door made a soft click as it closed behind them.

In the solitude of the hallway he smiled affectionately as he placed his hands on her shoulders in a calming gesture, "You're Dad is rehearsing his lines for the ceremony, Sokka and the Bei Fongs went to get lunch, and the flowers are still as beautiful as they were last night when we picked them…"

He paused to smile, "Everything is fine."

She sighed, and returned his smile through her frustrations, "I'm sorry Aang. I just want this to be so perfect for my brother, and I just know something bad is going to happen…"

Aang nodded understandingly with warm eyes as he instinctively reached up and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, "I know you do."

She felt calmer just by being in his presence and she found her heart beating in a steady normal rhythm for the first time that morning…

"How long until you and Toph are done here?" he asked suddenly, bringing her from her thoughts.

"Oh… uh… Soon," she answered simply. "I finished the hem, all I have left is a few tucks in the waist line and she's done."

He grinned at her brightly in typical Aang fashion, "Good, because I want to take you somewhere."

"Take me somewhere?" she asked with confusion in her brow. "But Aang, I can't possibly… There's just too much to do!"

"Katara, everything is ready!" he argued with a smile. "You've made sure of that! And the Bei Fongs are here to finish tying up all the loose strings."

She started to object again, but Aang just smiled and kissed her on the cheek before she could say anything. "Meet me at Appa's stable in an hour. And bring some warm weather clothes."

"But Aang!" she called after his retreating back, "Warm weather clothes? Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise!" he called over his shoulder.

She wrinkled her brow, "A surprise?" she muttered to herself. "Aang! I don't have time for surprises! " she called after him.

"One hour…" he answered with a wink before disappearing around the corner.

* * *

The midday sun was warmer than he'd expected at the high altitude Appa was flying. His parka lay in a pile behind him with Katara's, forgotten for the time being, leaving him to bask in the warm sun in his usual attire of a sleeveless V-neck yellow and tan tunic, dark grey trousers and an orange sash tied at his waist. Katara herself, had apparently heard his suggestion of warm weather clothes, despite her arguments, and had pulled off her parka earlier to reveal a lightweight sleeveless dress with a low V-neck that had originally made the Avatar blush. The blue of the dress matched her eyes and intricate designs adorned the sides as it reached her ankles and continued up the long slits on either side to her hips, allowing for free mobility. Darker blue leggings covered her legs to her knees where a pair of brown fair-weather boots met with them. And of course, her mother's necklace still hung in its usual spot around her neck. 

The breeze was refreshing and Aang couldn't help but notice how it caught Katara's hair in little wisps and blew it around her face in a mahogany halo. However, the angelic radiance that beamed across her tanned face didn't quite match the worried expression in her eyes or the evident frown that had found its way to her lips. She sat behind him, leaning against the front of the saddle with Momo in her lap as she stroked the sleeping lemur robotically. She'd obviously let her mind stay back at the South Pole that they had left only an hour prior...

Aang couldn't ignore the butterflies in his own stomach as he rested the reigns on one of Appa's horns – the giant beast knew exactly where they were headed anyways - and climbed into the saddle.

She hadn't seemed to notice…

"Hey," he said softly, placing a friendly hand on her shoulder.

She turned to him, though she seemed to be looking through him as she said, "Aang, I did leave good enough instructions for the cake right? You don't think Toph's mother will mess it up, do you?"

Momo smacked his lips upon awakening, and bounced from Katara's lap to go find some food. Aang sighed, finding himself worrying if now was indeed the best time to take Katara away from the planning to hatch his own plans…

"Katara, everything is going to be perfect tomorrow." He drew a hand to her jaw to turn her face up to his, "Trust me…"

She drew a deep breath and placed one of her own hands on top of his, creating a warm feeling in the pit of his stomach. "You really think so?" she asked quietly after a few seconds.

"Of course I do," he answered with a smile. "You're you Katara. Perfection follows you where ever you go." He grinned, "Now would you just relax and enjoy the ride?!" he teased jokingly.

"Okay Aang," she nodded her head as he withdrew his hand from her face.

"And Momo," Aang paused to glance over at the lemur who had found a bag of litchi nuts in Aang's belongings and was trying to break one open on his Airbending staff. "Don't spoil your dinner."

Momo chattered a response before running over and jumping back in Katara's lap with a dejected look on his face. Katara smiled and scratched behind his ears. She drew a deep calming breath, soothing invisible wrinkles from her clothing as Aang resituated himself at the reigns. Once she was pleased that her nerves had de-frazzled and her heart had found its normal rhythm once again, she climbed over the saddle herself and plopped down hesitantly beside him. Momo took his usual spot on Aang's shoulder. It'd been a while since she had ridden the skies like this, and she suddenly found herself wrapping her fingers around Aang's bicep cautiously as she peered over Appa's furry head.

He turned to her with a light blush at her gesture before he laughed, "Something wrong?"

"Huh?" Katara shot her eyes back up from the clouds beneath them, "No… nothing's wrong," she answered as she loosed her grip on his arm and felt her own blush reach her face, realizing just how tight she'd been holding onto him.

"So…" she started conversationally after regaining her composure. "Are you going to tell me where it is you're taking me," she paused to narrow her eyes playfully, "or am I going to have to force it out of you?"

"Hm…" Aang pondered her suggestion, stroking his chin thoughtfully - he really _had _been hanging around Sokka too long - before grabbing the reigns again. "I guess I could give you a hint…"

She raised her eyebrows at him, signaling that she was listening.

"The last time I brought you here…" he paused, thinking, before smiling broadly. "Sokka tried to eat Momo…"

At this, the lemur squawked loudly in distaste.

"I'm not sure that will narrow it down enough!" Katara joked. They both shared a laugh at the poor lemur's expense before Katara grinned widely. "Aang, I should have known!" she exclaimed suddenly as Appa picked up speed. "It's the Southern Air Temple, isn't it?"

Aang didn't say anything, but the huge grin that had spread across his face spoke volumes.

* * *

It was still mid afternoon when Appa began the steep ascent to the top of the clouds, signaling their arrival to the Southern Air Temple. As they broke through the clouds, sending little wisps of white fluff in every direction, Katara suppressed a gasp with her palm. Aang smiled at her with knowing eyes as Appa landed at one of the Bison stables near the base of the temple. Katara was speechless as she was pulled against Aang's chest and airbended to the ground.

Once her feet had connected with solid ground, her mind seemed to do the same. "Aang… it's… it's beautiful!" she whispered breathlessly, her eyes still wide in amazement as they struggled to take in every aspect of her surroundings.

And beautiful, it was… A new life had been breathed into the old temple and it practically glowed in response. White and red cherry blossoms bloomed in every corner and the breeze pulled its flowers from their branches so the air itself danced with their beauty. Lush carpets of green grass filled the space between, only small patches of snow reminding inhabitants of the season past. Aang smiled, breathing in the familiar thin air with nostalgia as Katara continued to take in her surroundings.

White stone carvings decorated endless courtyards and water fountains had once again found their purpose as natural springs bubbled forth into pools of shallow water. And the buildings themselves had been fully restored to their natural splendor, no longer decrepit old shells of what had been. Now they stood tall and proud against the mountain side, every stone polished and restored to its rightful place.

"Aang, did you…" she trailed off, still in shock from everything as she turned to him. "Did you do all this?" she asked quietly with a sense of respect and admiration for him she hadn't felt in a long time.

Aang didn't answer right away. He smiled with a certain sadness, "I just couldn't let it fade into the history books, you know?" He sighed, breathing in the scent of crispness and clarity, "This is my home. I couldn't let it die too."

She smiled at him with a tear of pure amazement. "It's beautiful," she said in all senses of the word. The stories she had heard Aang tell of the Southern Air Temple all seemed to come alive around her at once. The monks and their tattoos walking along beaten paths in deep meditation... The Sky Bison grazing in green cliff-side pastures… Children laughing and playing games in the nearby air hockey court… The sky alive with lemurs and benders, riding the winds… And in the near distance she could faintly discern the sound of…

She blinked back the images when she realized the chatter she heard wasn't just in her head. "Aang?" Katara quickly turned to the direction of the sound as a knowing grin spread across the Avatar's face and Momo chirped loudly at his side. "Is that-"

"Come on!" he interjected as he airbended his staff into one hand and grabbed her wrist eagerly with the other. He started running up the winding path towards the temple as Momo flew on ahead of them, disappearing around one of the path's winding turns.

Katara laughed as she was drug along the embankment. "Aang?! Will you slow down?! What was that sound?!"

After a few minutes Aang stopped, allowing Katara to catch her breath. The thin air wasn't agreeing with her lungs as much as she'd hoped…

"I know a faster way we can get up there," Aang grinned with a mischievous glint in his eyes that Katara knew all too well.

Katara drew a deep breath to steady her breathing as she glanced up at him through fallen bangs, "And just what might that be?" she asked gingerly, though she was afraid she already knew the answer.

With a spur of the moment decision, the wind blew with an unexpected gust as Aang twirled his staff at his side, opening it into his familiar blue glider. When he saw the look of horror flash across Katara's face, he didn't give her a chance to react before he took off into the sky.

"Come on Katara," he called down, though his words were faded by the winds. "You won't have to run anymore!"

Katara crossed her arms across her chest with decision and glared up at him, "There is no way you're getting me to ride that thing with you," she answered with determination. "Let's just keep going," she shouted as she started walking back up the path, trying her best to enjoy the cherry blossom trees that lined the cliff-face.

He swirled around to her, gliding just over the edge of the overhang along side her as she walked with eyes staring straight ahead. "Come on Katara," he offered pleasantly. "It's perfectly safe. I've done it a million times."

Not that she could argue with that. She _had _seen him soaring around on it more times than she could count… But she remained stubborn and unmoved. "Aang, you know how I feel about it."

Then he pulled the card on her that he knew she couldn't refuse…

"Don't you trust me?"

She stopped in her tracks, trying her best not to look in his general direction, "Aang, you know I do."

He swooped back to the ground in front of her, his glider at his side, "Then why won't you ride with me?" he asked with the boyish charm that suited him so well.

"Aang… I…" she started, but to avail. She could feel herself falling into his smile and earnest eyes. Even his glider at his side whipped in the wind and seemed to plead with her.

"Please?" he asked cautiously, his hand held out to her chivalrously. "You'll love it. I promise I'll go easy."

She sighed, turning her eyes to the sky, "Fine…" she said in a voice that edged on annoyed, but somewhat delight. "But if I get scared…"

"I promise I'll let you back on the ground," he finished for her with a wide grin of triumph.

She paused with a 'what-in-the-world-was-I-thinking' expression before walking up to him. "Aang, how am supposed to-"

He cut her off by pulling her closer to him, she instinctively wrapped an arm around his neck as he bent down to whisper in her ear, "Just hold on tight."

With a nod of her head, she buried her blush into his chest as she wrapped her other arm around his waist. His scent was clean and fresh, like the wind and she could feel and hear his heart thundering loudly beneath his ribcage. She smiled to herself, wondering if she was the reason for the sudden increased tempo of his pulse as she wrapped a leg around one of his.

It seemed his confidence had stepped down a notch as she felt his Adam's apple gulp over her head. She looked up at him, only a few inches separating her face from his, "I'm ready when you are…" she said unsurely.

He smiled back down at her and nodded. "Hold on!" he called as a gust of wind launched them from the ground. Katara shrieked out of pure relax as her feet left the dirt and she clutched Aang tighter, burying her face into his chest. She felt him laughing softly, but she didn't dare loosen her grip to accuse him of it as the air swirled around her freely.

She realized she had stopped breathing when she heard his voice in her ear. She released her breath and tried to hear what he was saying. Something about opening her eyes…

She shook her head into his chest, "No way!" she called back, her eyes shut tight stubbornly. "Just hurry up and get us where ever it is we're going!"

"Katara, not everyone gets to see the Airtemples from the sky like this," he reasoned with her, the wind catching his voice and swirling it around her so that it seemed he was everywhere at once. "Just look at it, once… for me?"

She sighed again, exasperated that he knew all the right words to pull at her heart strings. "Aang, what if I get scared and fall?" she asked, loosening the hold her eyelids held on her sight.

"I'll catch you," he said simply directly in her ear. Her spine tingled from his breath and it was all she could do to suppress the shudder than tried to run its course through her entire body.

"Promise?" she asked hopefully, peeking one eye open just enough to let in an undecipherable light.

"I promise!" he called back as he swirled upside down so that Katara was on top of him and the glider was beneath them, offering Katara a better view of the landscape, "Now open your eyes!"

She gasped at the sudden change of position, and in response clung to him tighter. Once she regained her bearings, she realized that with him beneath her, she suddenly didn't feel as vulnerable or afraid. She carefully pried one eye open, then both, to stare directly into Aang's face.

He was smiling a grin that seemed to cover his entire face. She found her eyes naturally locking with his as she smiled back, suddenly very comfortable holding on to him in the clouds, his arms spread out in the T shape they always were when he was gliding and his legs tangled with hers at the tail.

But she lost sight of his smile when her eyes wondered from his and settled on the imagery of the Southern Air Temple around her. It was breathtaking, to say the least, and it was all she could do to keep from jumping at the unexpected freedom of soaring around it so carelessly.

Aang must have noticed the look of wonderment that had accompanied her, and he laughed at her child-like expression, "I told you…"

"Aang!" she said freely, "It's so… so…" she paused, frustrated at her lack of words. "It's unbelievable!" She decided her choice of words earlier summed it up rather nicely. "It's beautiful!" She yelled, her eyes still gazing on the cliff face temple.

"Yeah it is…" She hadn't noticed that Aang's somber grey eyes were still fixated on her tightly. The ripple of the wind moved through her hair, pulling loose strands from her braid to dance about her face. Her clothing moved along with it, casting her in a surreal image that seemed more like a dream than anything else. Her eyes were wide and sparkling with excitement, her lips drawn into a truthful smile that told him what she was thinking without her having to say anything, and everything about her seemed to glow.

She did, however, notice the soft intonation of his words that did not match the enthusiasm in hers. She turned her attention back down to him, noting the longing in his eyes. "Thank you Aang," she said softly. As she looked down at him, and he up at her - neither of them realizing the compromising position they were in – the winds swirling around them disappeared, the gravity-defying glider was non-existent, and the temple that had awed them both faded into the background.

He smiled up at her, "I'm glad you like it." He could feel himself being drawn to her, his heart thundering in his chest and his throat dry as a bone. Her mouth was so close to his that he could taste it, her breath sweet and hot on his lips. She leaned into him, only a space of breath separating them…

* * *

**A/N: **I know… I'm as evil as they come and you all hate me now. I had originally planned on the Southern Air Temple trip to be all one chapter. But it is just ending up being too long! So I'll post it in two parts. Don't fret, I've already started the next part and you can expect it to be up by the end of the week:) 

I had to keep Aang carefree and like a kid, since I don't think he'd ever grow out of that either, and I remembered Katara being so unsure about flying when they were at the Northern Air Temple. This is what came out of that. Obviously, most of this is part of the plan that Sokka and Aang conjured up, though parts of it are Sokka and parts of it are Aang. Which parts are which will be revealed at a later time… :)

Don't forget… Reviews are greatly appreciated and always replied to! I've also got my oneshots posted. See my profile and click on "Just a Word".


	14. Moondance

**A/N: **Let's see… where did we leave off? Oh… that's right…

_He smiled up at her, "I'm glad you like it." He could feel himself being drawn to her, his heart thundering in his chest and his throat dry as a bone. Her mouth was so close to his that he could taste it, her breath sweet and hot on his lips. She leaned into him, only a space of breath separating them…_

* * *

_**Moondance**_

His breath caught in his throat, heart racing in anticipation, every cell in his body jittering with his anxiousness. He closed his eyes, ready to finish the small amount of space that was separating her lips from his.

But when he felt Katara's body stiffen in shock on top of him and heard her gasp sharp and dry, he opened his eyes right as she screamed…

"Aang! Lookout!"

A brief look of confusion raced across his face before he leaned his head upwards to see what it was Katara was so focused on that had caused her sudden change in composure.

He had to bite his tongue not to curse out loud as his eyes met with Avatar Yangchen's stony gaze. "Hold on!" he instructed as he veered the glider up and over the tall statue, narrowly missing his previous life's memorial.

Katara grimaced, burying her face once again into the soft yellow fabric of Aang's tunic. It wasn't until she felt her boots reconnect with the stability of solid ground that she dared to loosen her grip or open her eyes.

"Katara…" Aang closed his glider and placed his hands on her shoulders steadily, "I'm so sorry. I should have been paying attention." He paused, nervous for her reaction.

A grin made it back into his features as he heard her chuckle and then look up at him with a smile. "At least _one _of us was!" She jabbed his side jokingly as she moved out of arms, trying very hard to hide the blush of her cheeks.

Aang laughed nervously, "Sorry. I guess I got… _distracted_." He grinned, only serving to deepen the blush she wore as she smiled back at him.

A rather awkward silence followed, in which they both averted their gazes from each other abruptly. Aang suddenly found his feet to be very interesting as Katara's eyes stayed situated on her hands. She jumped slightly when she heard the same chattering sound that had started their adventure earlier. Soon her curiosity outweighed her embarrassment and she peered into the opening of the archways that lined the courtyard where they had landed. "Aang, is that-?"

"It's kind of weird huh?" he asked suddenly, cutting off her thought. He must have noticed her scanning eyes, because before she knew it, he was walking towards one of the buildings near them, "The first time I heard it I thought I was dreaming."

"What is it?" She asked, moving to follow him. He turned and motioned for her stop before she could take a step.

"Just stay there," he instructed with a smile, "You'll see…"

Katara sighed, knowing better than to intercede with what he obviously wanted to be a surprise. Had she known better, she would swear he had this whole thing planned out…

Aang disappeared into the shadows of the old monastery, and only then did she take the time to let out a slow even breath and rid her cheeks of their crimson color. Even without the pulling of the moon's power, the glider experience had been almost celestial. Her arms wrapped around Aang's body, the wind in her hair, the beauty that surrounded them…

"Close your eyes!" Aang's voice broke her thoughts, and she shifted her position.

"What?! Why?" she called back, peering into the opening. She could just make out Aang's silhouette. It looked like he was carrying something…

"Just do it!" he laughed, calling back.

"Aang!" she whined halfheartedly. "First you tell me to open my eyes, and now you want them closed?! I wish you'd just make up your mind!" She joked as she did as she was told, closing her eyes and covering them with her hands to emphasis her point. "There, they're closed!"

She sighed as she heard footsteps approaching. They stopped abruptly right in front of her. "Hold out your hands," he told her softly.

She gave him a 'whatever-you-say' look and, again, did as she was told, waiting for who-knows-what to be placed in her hands. She felt him reposition her hands they way he wanted them, and then paused, "You ready?"

"Ready for what, Aang? Honestly, is this really necessary-"

Her words died off abruptly as she felt Aang drop a soft, furry, moving object into her outstretched hands. She gasped, a smile spreading across her face as she popped her eyes open almost immediately.

"Aang! It's… it's…"

"It's a baby lemur," he finished for her with a smile in his eyes as he looked down on the resting animal.

Katara was at a loose for words. She could only smile, tears springing to her eyes as she looked at Aang with an awe of wonder. There was something about him that changed - almost softened - as he looked down on the tiny creature.

Hope. She could see it in his eyes and it was something that he hadn't always had when they were kids. It was something that she frequently had to instill in him as he took on the duty of saving their world and mastering the elements. But as he looked down at this tiny being in her arms, his eyes shown brightly with hope, his smile only adding to that light.

"Aang…" she started, for the sake of saying _something_. But she soon discovered she didn't really know what to follow with…

Aang didn't take his eyes off the sleeping lemur as he spoke quietly. "I had thought they were extinct. I thought that Momo was the last one. All those years I searched…" he paused to swallow the lump that had suddenly formed in the back of his throat. "I was so sure that after Momo… was gone… that a flying lemur would just be something you read about in a history book."

_Along with the Airbenders… _Katara thought forlornly. Aang didn't say it, but she knew he was thinking it as well.

Suddenly, he met her eyes with his own, "But I was wrong Katara. There were more. Hiding in the shadows, out of plain sight… They were here all along!" He smiled, causing her to do the same. "Momo found them in one of the temple's dormitories when we were here one summer working. Just think…" he paused, turning his eyes to the temple skies and then back to her, "If the lemurs made it, maybe there's sky bison hiding somewhere too! Maybe-"

"Maybe you're people are hiding with them," she finished for him as she found her voice once more. She met his enthusiastic smile with understanding. "This is amazing Aang! I would have never dreamt it to be possible." She sighed, looking down at the baby lemur, "But here it is…"

"Here it is…" Aang repeated her sentiments as he followed her gaze and turned his eyes back to the baby lemur.

* * *

Aang couldn't remember a time in his life that he had been so happy or felt so complete. The day had gone a little off his original plan - the impromptu gliding and near-crashing was case in point – but for the most part, it seemed that perhaps Sokka _did _know what he was talking about when he said it had to be something special. Katara's worried frown and distant eyes that started their trip had been easily replaced with an excited smile and almost youthful expression.

Sokka's idea of taking Katara to a place she would never forget had blossomed into what was quickly becoming a perfect scene for a confession of love. Aang had instantly thought of the Southern Air Temple as the perfect locale, and after Sokka suggested he take her somewhere romantic and enchanting, he couldn't think of a better place than the wildflower field near the wind-pipe tower. He was so anxious for what was to unfold that he had to constantly remind himself to breathe, lest he suffocate in his own anxiety.

But all it took was one look at the starry eyed reflection of Katara's smile as they entered the bloomy meadow, and every nerve unraveled into smiles and charm…

"Oh wow…" Katara breathed in a hush of her own voice. "I never knew so many colors existed!"

Aang smiled for the countless time at the look of wonderment in her eyes. "The monks used to say there's a flower here for every color of the rainbow."

It seemed that perhaps the monks were right… For in the acres of blooms that covered the lush meadow, the various shades of oranges, blues, reds, pinks, greens, every color Katara had ever dreamed of, reflected off the setting sun's rays and beamed with radiating brilliance. Each flower seemed to change color as the sun sank lower and lower against the horizon, giving the allusion of constant movement of shades, an ocean of color. The breeze that wafted through the field only added to the surreal feel of the meadow…

Katara turned to Aang, laughing. "How do you do it?" she asked suddenly.

"Do what?" he shrugged his shoulders in question, though he was fairly sure what her curious eyes were asking him.

"This!" she laughed, twirling in a circle with her arms outstretched. "How do you keep doing this?!"

Aang smiled affectionately at her as he watched her continue to laugh and spin. Suddenly, he grabbed one of her hands and twirled her into his body. Katara shrieked with laughter as the back of her shoulder flung against his chest.

"Aang," Katara sighed in content before turning her eyes up to his, "This is just so… unbelievable!"

"Unbelievable?" Aang asked with a boyish grin before twirling her back out the other direction.

"I keep thinking that this must all be a dream," she said with a smile in her eyes. "It's all just so… perfect." She paused to narrow her gaze at him, "You had this entire thing planned out, didn't you?" she teased.

Aang grinned before dropping her hand. "Would it be any less perfect if I did?" he asked with a slyness he didn't often use as he started walking towards the center of the field.

Katara smirked, shaking her head slowly as she followed him. Suddenly, a familiar bloom caught her eye. Aang continued walking on ahead of her as she bent down to inspect the flower in question. She instantly recognized it as the mysterious addition to the moonlily bouquet Aang had left in her office. With timid fingers, she picked the bloom from its stem and held it up to her nose, closing her eyes and breathing in the familiar scent of the white pedals with the blue border. The blue border that Aang said had reminded him of her eyes...

"Aang?!" she called out as she stood up, offering the flower up so that he could see it. "What is this one called?"

Aang smiled with a gentle blush as he recognized the flower she held, "I think the monks called that one 'Ocean Spray'."

She reflected his smile, blinking back her emotions as she tucked the flower into her hair. "I think it's my favorite," she said as she walked towards him, grabbing his hand in hers and squeezing it affectionately as she planted a small kiss on his cheek. "I never told you thank you for the flowers you gave me."

She hesitated, giving him ample time to feel the heat of her lips against his cheek again. "Thank you," she whispered in his ear, sending a shiver from his skull to his tailbone.

Aang swallowed his hesitancy, "You're welcome," he whispered back, fully aware of the fluttering butterflies that were suddenly occupying his stomach.

The setting sun had sunk low enough into the horizon that Katara's skin was practically glowing with an eerie mix of tan from the sun and ethereal silver from the moon. Suddenly, he remembered the first reason he had even brought her into the field and a huge grin spread across his face in excitement.

"Katara," he started eagerly, startling her from her thoughts. "Do you remember the first time I brought you here…" he paused long enough for Katara to nod. "You told Sokka that he was lucky enough to be one of the few 'outsiders' to see the Southern Air Temple."

Katara chuckled, "As always, his stomach was the only thing on his mind."

Aang nodded with his own chuckle before continuing with a more subdued expression, "You were right, you know. When I was growing up here, most of this mountainside was considered sacred land."

Katara nodded understandingly before gasping lightly and looking down at her feet.

Aang laughed, "Don't worry. You're more than qualified…" She opened her mouth to object, but he continued on before she could intercede, his eyes turned back towards the air temple. "There used to be a… well, I guess you could call it a tradition." He turned back down to her, changing his train of thought. "Did you know that every day at sunset, there's a change of the winds that signals the moon spirit that night has fallen?"

Katara nodded faintly with a thoughtful expression, "My Gran Gran used to tell me something about it… She used to say that without the wind, we would loose the moon."

"She was right." Aang grabbed her other hand so that she was standing right in front of him, "Just as the sun disappears, the winds change their course and if you're really still and quiet…" he paused, his words soft and careful as he continued "…sometimes you can hear the wind telling the moon to shine."

Katara smiled at the thought, and looked up to Aang's soft somber features. She had almost forgotten how intuitive he was to these sorts of things, and she opened her mouth to tell him so. However, the distant sound of a low steady ring suddenly caught on the breeze and interrupted her sentiments.

As the ring got louder, she looked up to Aang quizzically. He had his eyes closed and was smiling a reminiscent smile. He must have felt her gaze, because he suddenly explained, "It's wind pipes. The monks built them as a part of the temple to signal the passing of the winds. Everyday at sunset I used to come here as a kid and listen to them."

Katara smiled with a new understanding as the chimes got louder still and began changing tones. She noticed that sometime in the past minute or so, the sun had completely disappeared below the mountainous ridges that encased the small meadow. "The music is beautiful. I've never heard anything like them."

Aang opened his eyes and grinned, "That's why I brought you here. This is the first time I've listened to them with someone else." Suddenly, still holding both of her hands, he spun her around so that her back was to his chest and her arms were crisscrossed in front of her. His hands still clasped hers tightly as they found a comfortable spot on her hips. He drew a deep shaky breath and whispered in her ear, "And I wanted it to be you."

Katara sighed and melted into his arms with a smile she didn't know she was wearing. She could feel his heart beating methodically against her back, and it almost seemed to thump in time to hers that raced in her own ribcage. Suddenly, she realized that they were swaying back and forth slightly, as if dancing.

Aang breathed deeply once more, looking up the sky just in time to see the moon come to life and light the meadow in a cool pale glow as the dying sun's orange light dissipated around them. As the chimes died off as well, he closed his eyes and bowed his head so that his mouth was close to her ear. With a short prayer that he wouldn't forget the words to the song that Sokka had spent all day teaching him, he started singing softly:

"Under stars and the moon

I can hear your heart's tune.

Will you give me just a chance?

As the soft gentle breeze

Pulls the leaves from the trees

Can I have this last moondance?"

Katara gasped softly, and turned her face up to meet his with a smile. Although his voice was shaky and quiet, the words of the lullaby hushed in her ear and she instantly recognized the tune of her mother's song. An image of her mother's face, obscure but beautiful, blanketed her mind before it was instantly replaced with a picture of her and Aang sitting by the hearth at her house, watching the fire and making small talk. Suddenly, she remembered she had been humming the tune to that very song the first night he was back before she had realized that she wasn't alone in the room… Unshed tears collected under closed eyelids as she suddenly understood the meaning of "tears of joy".

Aang suddenly spun her back around and with a charm and confidence neither of them knew he possessed, he guided her hands around his neck and put his comfortably back on her hips. With a soft smile in his eyes, he leaned his forehead against hers and started swaying back and forth in their previous dance. Katara smiled and struggled to find her voice as she accompanied him in the last two verses…

"Under a dark midnight sky

With the moonlight in your eyes

I am yours and you are mine

In my arms you will be

Like the sky and the sea

And share this moondance with me."

The last word rang clean and clear in the night sky as Aang stopped leading the dance and brought one hand to her chin. With the stars blanketing the nigh sky and nothing but the sound of the wind on the flowers, he gently lifted her chin and brushed his lips across hers in a soft kiss.

He drew a deep breath. "Katara…" he hesitated so that he could open his eyes and look into hers, grey skies meeting ocean blue, "…I love you," he whispered against her mouth as his hand moved up her jaw line.

He instantly felt every cell in Katara's body lighten and relax into him, almost deflate, as if she had been waiting for him to say those words for years before she took her next breath. With a soft sweep of his hand, he brushed his palm against her cheek as his fingers found their way into her hairline. "I've waited so long to tell you this," he whispered, his breath soft and warm on her face. "I love you Katara."

It was only after he paused long enough to breath normal again that he realized she hadn't said anything yet. His palm was wet and he could feel her unbroken sobs racking in her chest. "Katara?" he asked hesitantly as he pulled his forehead from hers and lifted her gaze to his.

Her eyes were bright with the night's reflection on unshed tears and her cheeks warm and red. The smile she wore didn't match the spilt tears that were staining salty paths down her cheeks. "Aang…" she paused to breathe as Aang brought his hands to her face and wiped her cheeks with the pads of his thumbs. "It's been… so hard," she whispered. "You left. You left me and you promised to come back."

Aang's expression easily conveyed his guilt and regret, "Katara, I'm s-"

Katara's finger against his lips stopped him from apologizing again, "No. Please don't. Don't apologize." Aang nodded, though a little confused, as she brought her finger from his mouth. "You were only doing what you thought was right."

She paused to collect herself and swallow the lump in her throat, "I was so lost without you, Aang. I couldn't explain it. It was like a part of me was missing… Everyday you didn't come was another day that you were gone. For six years I just went through the motions of living, not really knowing if I would ever see you again…" The tears sprang back to her eyes at the painful memories. "It was almost unbearable…"

Aang nodded sympathetically, remembering his own lonely nights and swollen eyes. "Katara, being away from you was the hardest thing I ever had to do," he smiled as an attempt to lighten the mood. "And I've saved the world!"

Katara returned his smile as the light found its way back into her eyes. "I didn't understand it then. I didn't understand why I felt so empty all those years. Even being back home with my family and friends, I felt so alone… It wasn't until you came back that I realized..."

She brought a hand to his face, cupping his cheek in her palm. "I'm in love with you, Aang."

Upon hearing those words spoken with such resounding emotion, Aang instantly pulled Katara into him, planting his lips against hers in a wave of passion and fortitude. She was surprised at first by his boldness, but immediately matched the motion of her lips with his as they shared a lover's embrace under a blanket of stars.

* * *

**A/N: **Sappy? Yes. But oh well! I like it! I did something I haven't done in a long time for this chapter, I wrote song lyrics. I wish there was a way for you to hear the tune in my head that I wrote them to, but that would require mind reading (and that's dangerous territory!) :)

Anywho… thanks for reading and don't forget to review!! Next chapter will be the wedding and will probably be the last chap.


	15. Something Old, Something New

**A/N: **Gah! Sorry sorry… I know this is REALLY overdue (as usual). I started a critical care residency about a month ago and I've been incredibly busy. So excuse my lateness upon getting out this last chapter. I hope it lives up the hype that everyone's been giving it!! You guys have rocked my world with all the reviews I've gotten for this story! Ya'll are awesome!!

Oh, and speaking of reviewers… An anonymous reviewer that went by the name Evmoy15 said something to effect of "my dad's band wrote that song" on the last chapter. I'm not really sure what you are implying Evmoy15, but I can assure you that I did not steal any lyrics from another song. There _is _an old jazz rock song that was written by Van Morrison back in the late 70s that is entitled "Moondance", but the words are nothing like what I wrote for my lyrics in the previous chapter. I hope this clears up any misunderstandings…

* * *

_**Something Old, Something New**_

It was all dark. Comforting and soothing, the way she liked it. Her mind was at ease in her familiar environment of quiet blackness and broken wavelengths of the surrounding vibrations. Her pallet on the ground was comfortable against the wooden planks, and she reveled in her element as bleariness drifted to reality. The sounds of bustling feet and panicked voices broke through the silence and Toph groaned, turning on her side and clamping her pillow around her head to block out the disturbances just outside the bedroom door. For several moments, the blind Earthbender just lay on her wooden planks, "watching" the morning unfurl around her.

Strange… She had been expected today to seem, different… (After all, it _was _her wedding day). But it seemed that morning was unfolding just as it would on any other day. Peasants and warriors could be heard outside making their way to the market and trading centers, their vibrations and muffled footsteps taking back seat in Toph's mind. The new blanket of snow that yesterday had left behind frosted the cold air in little sprays of crystal footsteps in their wake, the freezing temperature several degrees lower than she had hoped for. Birds fluttered by the window on determined wing, heading to the coast for fish and seed, and artic wolves barked and howled at each other as they romped in the snow.

She shivered as she turned her attention inside the house… Sokka paced back and forth in his adjoining room, his familiar footsteps that were always so determined and strong now seemed nervous and flittering. She listened intently as he paused his pacing to grumble to himself about who-knows-what. His heartbeat matched his motions, and she found herself giggled quietly at his quickening pulse.

Her parents' footsteps seemed more hurried and unwavering, rumbling through the kitchen no doubt throwing together last minute preparations for the reception. More than once, she felt her mother sigh in exasperation and mutter something under her breath about "lazy kids" and "nothing getting done without her".

As her mind adjusted in clarity and responsiveness, she could feel the early sun warming her face through the eastern window, calling her to the day. Toph sighed in resignation, breathing in the crisp clean air of the South Pole and rising to a sitting position. She smacked her lips, planting her palms soundly on the ground behind her to feel better for the number of bodies occupying the small ice hut. She silently thanked Sokka for installing the hardwood floors when he had built the house over three years ago. It made "seeing" so much easier for her…

Sokka's heartbeat in the adjoining room had calmed to a more normal rhythm. Her parents' footsteps had paused long enough for her to easily decipher both their feet planted firmly against the ground.

"Hm…" Toph muttered to herself as she stood up, brushing the blankets aside. "That's strange…" The absence of two very recognizable pairs of footsteps was painfully obvious.

Before she could voice anymore questions to herself, she paused with her usual smirk and called through the closed bedroom door, "Sokka, you aren't supposed to see me until the ceremony…"

Sokka hesitated, his hand held stiffly at the other side of the door. He was still a little unnerved by her ability to foretell anyone's entrance into a room before it ever really happened. He sighed, calling back through the closed door, "Toph I need to talk to you!"

Toph smiled as she crossed the room and pulled the door open, leaning against the open frame with her arms crossed casually. "When have I ever been one for tradition? I thought you knew me better than that…"

Sokka kissed her forehead in a 'good-morning' gesture and brushed by her into the small bedroom. "Close the door before your mother sees us. You might not be one for tradition, but something tells me that she is…"

With a careful observation, Toph obliged, "They're too busy arguing over the table arrangements to worry about it anyways." With the soft click of the door, she took a spot next to the young warrior on Katara's bed. "What's wrong with you? You feel like you just ran a marathon," she asked with a laugh as she placed a small hand just over Sokka's heart.

"You haven't seen Katara or Aang this morning have you?" Sokka asked hurriedly.

"Seen them?" Toph asked with a smirk as her hand dropped to the mattress. "No, I don't think I've _seen _them this morning."

"Toph," Sokka scolded, "I'm being serious. Aang took her to the Southern Air Temple yesterday afternoon and I haven't seen either one of them since then. What if something happened to them?!" Sokka's expression changed from concern to annoyance as he pounded a fist into an open palm, "I swear, if Aang did anything…"

Toph laughed, earning her a sideways glare from the groom. She stayed his frown with an assuring hand on his shoulder, "It'll be fine. Don't worry about them." She smiled a knowing smile, "The ceremony doesn't start until this evening. I'm sure they'll be home before lunch."

Sokka sighed, his fists softening as he turned his attention to the window, hoping to catch a glimpse of his sister's return. "Yeah, you're probably right…" he resigned at the sight of only glittering snow peaks and smoking chimneys of neighboring huts.

Toph snorted and nudged him in the ribs, "Don't you have more important things to be worrying about today anyway?"

Sokka grinned and narrowed his gaze at her, "Why? Should I be worried about today?"

With an apathetic shrug Toph stood up. "Only if you're afraid of seeing me in a dress," she responded through a cracked smile.

At the thought of Toph in a dress Sokka's grin widened, "Now that's something worth waiting to see," he chuckled as he pulled her towards him at the hips.

"Yeah well…" Toph wrapped her fingers through Sokka's "ponytail", tugging softly at the loose ends absentmindedly as she always did, "I'm not so sure about that… If it looks stupid, you can blame your sister for it. It was all her idea."

"You'll look beautiful and I can't wait to see it," Sokka shook his head out of her grasp before stealing a kiss and moving back towards the door. "Speaking of my sister… I'm going to go see if I can't find them in town."

Toph sighed, shaking her head as she followed him to the door, "Are you going to be this protective over me after we're married?" she paused to smile, "Because you know that I'm not one for wanting protection…"

Knowing that she was mostly joking (_mostly…_), Sokka grinned, "Are you kidding? Like the _greatest Earthbender in the world _needs protection…" he scoffed.

She laughed as he kissed her on the cheek and took off down the hall. "Just checking!" she called as she closed the door behind him.

* * *

Katara was blissfully unaware of the cooler wind that breezed across her skin as Appa entered the colder climate of the South Pole. Her dreams played in her mind's eye, a shadow of sorts in that state of consciousness that's not really asleep… but not yet fully awake. She could feel Aang's presence, but couldn't quite comprehend it. Even so, it was enough to drive her into a feeling of contentedness she'd not felt in a long, long time.

She smiled in her dreamy state, humming softly and drumming her fingers across Aang's open palm if only to feel his skin against hers. She had resided to her parka over an hour ago, and she already missed the natural heat his body brought to hers with the smallest of contacts. Aang chuckled, wrapping his fingers around hers. "You're awake," he stated simply.

She sighed, snuggling deeper into his chest and nudging her shoulder further into the crease of his armpit, his parka soft against her cheek and his grip firm around her waist. "No I'm not."

She smiled as another chuckle jostled his shoulders. It was a different feeling to _feel _someone laugh rather than hear it…

"But you _are_ awake," he said matter-of-factly. "And do you know how I can tell?"

"Mmm?" she hummed softly sinking further into his warmth.

"Because if you were asleep, how would you be able to do this?!" he said as he jabbed at her ribs mercilessly, fingers tickling at her sides and sending her sprawling in laughter away from her very comfortable spot under his arm.

"Ah!" she shrieked, giggling and knocking away his hands. "Cheap shot!"

He grinned triumphantly as he resituated himself against Appa's saddle, "See? Awake…"

She pouted playfully for a few seconds, which only made his grin widen.

"And I was so comfortable…" she said smiling as she sat next to him, pulling her knees up to her chin and wrapping her arms around her legs.

Aang returned her smile, wrapping one arm across her shoulders and pulling her back up against him. She chuckled and rested her head against his shoulder to prove there were no hard feelings. After a few silent moments he leaned his head against hers and started pulling his fingers through her hair, "I can't believe Toph and Sokka are getting married today! What do you think they're doing right now?"

Katara smirked, "I don't know about Toph, but I know exactly what Sokka's doing…"

"Freaking out…" they said in unison with a laugh.

Aang paused, smiling at Sokka's overprotective nature. "He's going to kill me when I finally get you home… you know that right?" he said suddenly.

Katara chuckled as Appa began the descent towards the Southern Water Tribe, "Are you kidding? Something tells me he's had this planned for a long time…"

* * *

The rest of the day went by rather uneventfully, save for the overdramatic reunion of the water tribe siblings and the nervous Avatar… After he made it well known how worried he had been about them, Sokka expressed how thrilled he was that he and Aang's plan had apparently gone off without a hitch (Aang had pointedly left out the near-fatal unexpected meeting with Avatar Yangchen's statue). He beamed proudly at their affectionate behavior towards one another and when he couldn't contain himself anymore, he wrapped his sister up in a platypus-bear hug with compliments of how excited her was to see her so happy… Hugs, smiles, and testimonies then commenced until Sokka got the point of awkwardness and finally left to attend to wedding day matters…

Which finally led to Katara tending to the bride, leaving Aang to help Sokka prepare for the ceremony...

"Are you nervous?" Aang asked nonchalantly as he adjusted his navy tunic (navy to give heritage to the ceremonial dress of Watertribe weddings) across his shoulders and dusted the imaginary dust from his trousers. "It's getting pretty crowded down there," he commented as he peered through the curtain into the courtyard below.

"Nervous?! I'm not nervous," Sokka let out a frustrated groan as he pulled at the stiff collar of his dark blue ceremonial anorak, "I just wish they didn't have to make these stupid things so uncomfortable." He paused to catch a glimpse of himself in the tall mirror of ice Aang had frozen for him, "It looks okay, right?"

Aang chuckled and nudged Sokka in the shoulder, "Sokka, you look great. Why does it even matter?"

The tall warrior took to pulling at the hairs on his chin in a nervous gesture as he paced the floor in little circles. "It's not Toph, I know she doesn't care what I look like," he paused to appreciate the irony in his words. "She is blind after all…"

"You don't want to disappoint Katara," Aang commented as he peered through the curtain again, eyes gazing through the crowd of dignitaries, forgotten family members, and dozens of friends below. It was a wonder Katara had found a place in the Southern village to accommodate such a crowd.

"She's put a lot of work into planning this wedding," Sokka answered. "I just hope it lives up to the effort she's given it."

Aang continued searched through the crowd, eyes darting among the sea of unfamiliar faces, hoping to catch a glimpse of the current subject of their conversation. He sighed in disappointment, "She must still be with Toph…" he mumbled out loud to himself.

"You know…" Sokka interrupted suddenly, "I always knew that you two would be together." He paused to chuckle, "Since day one…"

Aang laughed jokingly, "Don't sound so disappointed!"

"Hey man," Sokka smiled, pulling Aang into a brotherly hug, "I'm happy for you."

Aang grinned, slapping Sokka on the back a few times in a gesture of brotherly love, "Thanks man, I'm happy for you too."

Sokka drew a deep breath, pulling out of the hug. Aang grinned "Hey buddy," he commented as the band below started playing, "I think that's your cue."

The music grew steadily louder as he put a reassuring hand on the warrior's shoulder, "You ready?"

Sokka paused to take another deep breath as the realization sunk in as to what was about to happen. He smiled as he met his friend's eyes in earnest, "I'm ready."

* * *

"Toph would you please be still!" Katara muttered in frustration. "I'll never get this right if you don't stop fidgeting with it," she said as she shooed Toph's fingers away from the sash.

Toph huffed, causing the bangs encircling her face to bounce from her breath. "Are you sure this is really worth it?" she asked for the millionth time. "I don't think Sokka could less what I'm wearing."

Katara stepped back to admire her handy work, a sudden smile of appreciation for her younger friend's natural beauty gracing her features. The pale green overlay that graced the white dress below billowed from Toph's waist, grazing the ground in wisps of fabric and beads. Naked toes peaked from the front hem, Katara had not even attempted to try and get the blind Earthbender to wear shoes. Ornate bead work danced along the bodice where the dress met with Toph's bare shoulders, and her handmade engagement necklace wrapped around her neck in a blur of sea foam green, the delicate pendant resting between her collar bones.

Katara grinned, "Toph, you look… amazing!"

Toph smiled, despite herself, her petite fingers moving along her hips and then her waistline, "Really?"

"Sokka won't know what hit him," Katara confirmed as she watched Toph continue to explore the seams of the dress.

Toph paused and before Katara really knew what was happening, she was wrapped in a tight hug with the young Earthbender. Toph sighed with tears in her eyes, "I don't think I've told you this yet," she said into the Waterbender's shoulder before puling back and looking eerily straight into her eyes, "but…. Thanks Katara. For everything."

Katara smiled, tears forming behind her own oceanic eyes. "You're welcome Toph," she said before returning the hug. It was a rare sight to see Toph in such an uncommon mood, but Katara was more than appreciative for her gratitude.

After a few silent moments, the girls pulled out of their embrace, Toph smiling serenely. "So how did things go with Twinkle Toes?" she asked suddenly.

Katara felt herself blushing warmly, her mouth spreading into a truthful smile, "Things went… perfect."

Toph laughed, "So it was fairytale after all?"

Katara continued smiling, "Like you said, there's not a story more fairytale than mine and Aang's."

Suddenly the sound of music wafting from the courtyard interrupted the girl's conversation, the bride's expression gradually getting grim. "Something wrong, Toph?" Katara asked as she smoothed out invisible wrinkles from the front of her blue satin dress.

Toph drew a deep breath. "Just nervous I guess," she said after several seconds.

Katara nodded understandingly as the music grew in volume, "Well, are you ready?" she asked with a smile.

Toph returned her smile, her toes wiggling beneath her dress in anticipation. "I'm ready…"

* * *

_When the last note has played_

_And the band has long since gone_

_The air is still and silent_

_The moon is the only one_

_Left to light the way_

_The vows have been said_

_The glasses toasted high_

_Every hug and kiss given_

_And all that's left is the sky_

_To point ahead_

_Bride and groom retired_

_Their night has just begun_

_Years of life ahead for them_

_A path of love to run_

_And not too tired_

_Soon the sun will rise_

_The whole world's disguise_

_And give the night goodbyes_

_Elevating stars surprise_

_What a show_

_So blooms and moon and sky_

_Lead to water told lullabies_

_And the wind that breezes by_

_Holds a tender swollen sigh_

_To all below_

_Every peaceful year_

_Follows another_

_A lifetime of smiles_

_A promise not forgotten_

_To love_

_

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**A/N: **Well… It's been a fun ride kids:) Hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did! And sorry again for taking so long to get this last chapter up!!

I'm not really sure I liked how it ended… but I couldn't really think of another way to give it a definite conclusion. I may put up a oneshot later of the actual ceremony, but I just felt that if I included that part in this story it might open up a whole can of worms and I wouldn't know where to end it!! Anywho… as always, I'd love to hear what you all have to say about it!


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